Mahou mo Ken
by Enterprise1701-d
Summary: When Harry cries out for help during a nightmare, halfway around the world somebody listens. Somebody that will change the way Harry looks at magic... forever. On hiatus.
1. Ken

**Mahou** **mo Ken**

All rights to Harry Potter and its world, characters, and settings belong to JK Rowling.

**Chapter One - Ken**

At number four, Privet Drive, a sixteen-year-old boy with intense green eyes, unruly black hair, and a lightning bolt-shaped scar turned over in his bed, tugging the covers closer to his body as he closed his eyes, willing himself to sleep. Furiously, the boy hoped he wouldn't have nightmares this night… but he was sure his hopes would be for naught.

Finally, sleep overtook his unruly thoughts and he fell into a deep, dark slumber.

As the nightmares claimed him, he could see the one person he cherished, his one last remaining relative fall through a rectangular portal, never to be seen again. His dream-self screamed, and for the first time screaming at somebody _else_ to help him.

A cold shiver made its way up his spine then, and his nightmare shattered, to be replaced by total and utter darkness.

And he was not alone… the boy scanned around, sure that he was somehow awake now, where he had been asleep before. He could not see anyone, but the ghostly presence to his senses remained.

"Hello? Who's there?" he tried, somehow not believing that he would receive an answer.

To his surprise, the presence intensified in strength, as if it were trying to find _him_ as badly as he was trying to find _it_.

"Anybody?" he tried again, to see if the mysterious presence would increase in strength again, hoping that he would be able to locate it then.

The presence did indeed increase in strength, yet he no longer needed to look for it, as it… found him.

A classic, Asian woman appeared before him, dressed in what looked to the boy like a loose-fitting traditional Japanese garment of some sorts. A staff was in her right hand, at least two meters in height and made out of darkened wood. In her left hand, she held a Katana, the curved sword of Japanese tradition.

The boy swallowed deeply, this mysterious Asian woman's power visible even to his undeveloped senses. "Eh… hi," he tried.

She dipped her head. "Good… evening… to you as well," she answered with precise tones, looking around and somehow finding the correct greeting. He had the impression that it was nowhere _near_ night for this woman. "May I have the name of the person who sent a cry for help halfway around the world?" she asked.

The boy swallowed, somehow knowing that she was talking about him, and confirming his thoughts about her being nowhere near evening at the same time. "Eh… Harry. Harry Potter," he whispered, looking at, what he thought, was the ground. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"I know you did not mean to disturb me," the woman replied, not letting him finish his statement. "And I do not hold it against you." She smiled slightly at him as he shot her a very surprised look. "And yes, I can read your mind… now, I am most curious. You have the power to shoot a cry for help halfway around the world, yet you do not have the power to protect yourself…"

Harry couldn't help himself, and thought about the Occlumency lessons he had 'enjoyed' at the hand of one of his teachers, a professor named Severus Snape. The woman's eyes went big, as the entire story seemed to roll out of his mind at full speed, her one question triggering the entire set of events, and the associated memories. His mind did what it did best… associate. The more Harry tried not to think about it, the more his mind conjured up the images he was _not_ supposed to think about.

Finally, he just stood there, looking at his feet, panting, as the entire story just retold itself before his mind's eye. He startled when a single hand rested upon his shoulder. The mysterious woman had approached, and put her hand on his shoulder. She looked at him with sympathy.

"I am the first to admit that memories might be tainted by the person's interpretation of events," she stated calmly. "However, I can not see how memories such as these could be misinterpreted. Not to mention the fact that all the evidence to the truth is right here… instead of protecting your mind, your Professor only opened your mind further. You are wide open and unprotected, and that is why I can be here, and look through your mind, even though we are half a world apart."

He just nodded, too numb to talk. "Do you still want help?" she then asked. "I realize this was part of your dream. However, I am in the position to help you… train you… and perhaps we can have your valuable mind shielded by the time the next school year starts."

Harry looked up at her. "Do you… do you mean that?" As she nodded, he brightened, but then immediately sobered up. "But… who are you?"

She bowed regally, her introduction flowing off her lips as if born to it. "Mahou mo Ken, Consult to the Government of Japan, and First Bodyguard to the Emperor of Japan."

"Eh…" Harry stammered at the woman. "Wow," he finally managed. "Mahou…"

She smiled at him. "Mahou mo Ken," she repeated. "Magic and Sword. It is my title… and my name is mine alone."

He nodded, able to understand why someone would want to go by a title and make sure their names were kept private. He decided to try again. "So… how does everybody call you? Mahou? Ken?"

"Sensei," the woman replied levelly. "Or 'Sir'. His Imperial Majesty calls me 'Ken'."

Harry swallowed, understanding instinctively how much it meant for her to tell him how the emperor called her. He nodded. "I understand… ma'am."

She smiled daintily at him again. "In here, we are most definitely private. You may call me Ken."

Harry swallowed, nodding dumbly. "T-thank you, Ken."

She smiled at him, that thin and graceful smile he had somehow became attached to, even in such a short time. "First of all," she said, becoming all business, "I will teach you how to properly shield your mind. It just will not do to have you run around with a mind stripped of all defenses. Basically, it means that I will have to teach you both Legilimancy and Occlumancy... after all, there is much more than just those two skills that I can teach you."

"You... you will teach me more than just that?" Harry asked, somewhat shocked. "I-I mean, gladly! But, only if it's not too much of a bother..."

Her image seemed to become semi-transparent for just a second. "I was meditating, listening in to the voice of the universe around me. That was how I was able to detect you. You are no bother... the things you went through have been enough, and I have decided to help you." Her deep, black eyes settled on him, as if they looked through his very soul. "Unless you do not want me to help you, that is."

"Of course I want you to help me!" Harry shouted. "I mean, this is the first time someone like you has offered to help me, and the things I can learn from you..."

That enigmatic smile again, and Harry's talking trailed off. "I will teach you a variety of skills, using a technique that will be neither easy nor pleasant, but one that has been made possible due to your... unique condition. Because you don't have mental shielding, it is possible for me to transfer some of my knowledge to you. It takes time and energy... and it will most definitely leave you sick after each session, but your progress will be remarkable." She looked at him again. "Are you sure you wish to continue?"

Harry stood there, transfixed, staring at this Asian woman for close to ten seconds, somehow digesting everything she said. Something jumped out at him. "But... you said that you would teach me to shield myself... wouldn't it be impossible for you to teach me after that?"

She smiled wider at him. "You are a smart person, Harry Potter, and I'm pleased you ask that question. However, you did not think far enough." She stopped talking, looking at him, as if waiting for him to figure it out by himself. After five seconds, when it was obvious he wouldn't say anything, she went on. "I will be the one to teach you about reading and protecting minds... of course I will also teach you to allow people you trust absolutely to access your mind directly. And that, my young student, will be harder than learning the rest of the skills combined. Unfortunately, your safety has precedence. I will first teach you shields. Then I will instruct you on how to let people in... the old fashioned way, through verbal transfer. As soon as you clear that, I will start teaching you other things."

Harry just nodded.

Ken smiled reassuringly at him, placing her hand on his shoulder again. "Now, sleep, my young student. You need rest, so that we can start tomorrow."

Harry stared at his feet again, the all-encompassing blackness still not forming a decent floor for Harry to look at. He swallowed. "I..." he tried, voice faltering as he tried to tell his new teacher. He licked his lips; tried again. "I haven't gotten much sleep," he finally said. "The nightmares..."

Ken lifted his chin with her free hand. "Harry, there is nothing wrong with feeling sad about losing someone. There is nothing wrong with missing that person either. You just lost someone incredibly important to you, and it is eating at you. It is understandable. But you can not let that sadness eat you alive. Remember your loved ones, Harry. Honor them, and live to the best of your abilities. And that is how you can bring them joy, as they are, without a doubt, watching you from the afterlife." She smiled sadly. '"But it hasn't been long enough for such philosophy lessons yet. You still ache for this death. " She sighed deeply, and the blackness seemed to deepen in color, if such a thing was possible. "Sleep, Harry, and I will keep you safe."

Her image vanished before he had a chance to thank her, for everything, when the blackness encroached on his mind, and Harry's consciousness faded, vaguely aware of a falling sensation before sleeping a deep and restful sleep.

He awoke the next morning, feeling remarkably rested for the first time since a long time. He could feel the all-encompassing darkness that had shielded him during the night fall away at the precise moment he opened his eyes. Not knowing what Ken had done to him, but sincerely grateful for it, Harry got up from the rickety bed that he had been provided with.

For once, he didn't hate his adopted family, the Dursleys, for what they had done to him. Rather, he felt a sincere and heartfelt pity for them, for their small minds, and their fear of him and everything unusual and what they considered to be abnormal. After getting dressed in one of the few outfits he had that didn't hang off him like rags, Harry sneaked out of the house. He needed to go someplace, and he couldn't allow himself to be sidetracked... or stopped.

Fifteen minutes later, he walked up to the local library, He didn't have a library card, and getting one would be awkward, with all the questions that would no doubt be asked. As such, he contented himself with checking the resources on-site, checking various books and making notes. As he read more and more, his list of notes got steadily larger and larger, and his amazement grew and grew.

Suddenly, he looked up, and threw a look at the clock. It was after four... he had been at the library since nine am! Not believing that he had actually spent as much time here as he had, Harry set for a jog back 'home', mentally berating himself for turning into Hermione Granger, one of his best friends and certified study-head.

He sneaked back in, and settled in his closed bedroom, eating some of the food that had been shoved through the cat flap built into his door. It was cold, probably had been cold well before it had been shoved through his door, but he still ate it. His day at the library had worn him out... and his stomach whole-heartedly hated him for skipping on lunch.

By eight, he was so tired that he lay on his back in bed, closing his eyes, and preparing to fall asleep. As he rested, he thought about Ken for a few moments, wondering if he would ever meet her again. She had been adamant about helping him, incredibly sure of herself that she would be able to contact him again, seemingly at will, even. But now, at night, and after his day at the library, he was beginning to wonder about the logistics of the enterprise... Japan was on the other side of the world, and this time there would be no cry for help from his part. At least, he hoped there wouldn't be... last time had been bad enough.

Sleep overcame his troubled mind soon after, and as he drifted off into the comfortable blackness of deep sleep... Harry was interrupted.

Finding himself back in the somewhat-familiar black environment of their first meeting, Harry looked at Mahou mo Ken, looking identical to what she looked like yesterday.

"Good evening to you, Mister Potter," she stated calmly, her thin lips drawn into a small smile.

Her tone had been calm and collected, and Harry realized that she meant nothing other than the flat truth of her statement. Usually he resented being called with his last name, _especially_ when it was preceded by the word 'mister', however, this time, he found he did not mind it.

"Good morning, Ken," Harry replied. He swallowed. After everything he had learned at the library today, it just didn't feel _right_ to call her that anymore. He drew a breath, Ken obviously realizing that he had something to say, and remaining silent as he collected himself. "I went to to the library today," he said, halfway expecting her to crack a joke about it, as his friends would do. To his surprise, she just nodded at him. "I read up on Japan and its customs. I learned a lot... especially about ways of addressing people."

He glanced at her face, not expecting the pleased smile on her face. Strengthened by the unexpected approval, he went on. "Shouldn't I call you Sensei?"

She dipped her head. "It is true that a teacher is usually called 'Sensei' in Japan, however... I was willing to make allowances for you, as you are not of Japanese decent."

He felt anger rising within him, but bit down hard on it. "I am tired of people making allowances for me," he grunted darkly, not wholly succeeding in calming himself down. He drew another breath, expecting her to berate him like some of teachers, or try and placate him, as the Headmaster was wont to do. Instead, she remained silent, watching him as he worked himself out. Finally, he drew a deep breath in this strange place. "Is that because I am a Gaijin?"

She dipped her head in answer to his last question, totally ignoring his emotional outburst. "Yes," she admitted. "You are Gaijin, a foreigner. You are not expected to hold yourself to the same laws and ways as we do."

He grimaced angrily, almost lashing out again. "We will need to work on emotional control," she stated calmly. "Occlumency will help you."

Harry struggled with his anger as he tried to formulate a response. As suddenly as it had come up, his anger died down, at the same time that her hand was placed on his shoulder. "You have been hurt greatly, Mr. Potter. Your rage is understandable."

"It-it is?" he asked, dumbstruck.

She nodded. "It is. And I will help you overcome it."

"Thank you," Harry whispered, looking at the ground again. "Sensei."

To his surprise, she did not answer, and he risked a glance up at her face. She looked pleased. "You are welcome," she replied levelly. "Mr. Potter."

He grimaced. "Call me Harry," he replied. "Please?"

She chuckled once. "Harry," she said, nodding. "Come, let us begin." She motioned, and the surrounding darkness faded away, to be replaced by an odd grassy plain, the grass completely blue and the sky an odd orange. "First, we must build up your mental imagery, a place for your mind and your soul to be safe within itself."

Harry nodded. "Where... where is this?"

She smiled. "This is your mind, Harry. It can be anything you want it to be. It can be a wide-open plain, accessible to all, or it can be as secure as the Imperial Vaults. And that is why I am here... to teach you how to do that." She looked around. "As you can see, at this moment, your mind is a wasteland, wide open, all structures removed by the horror instilled upon you these last few years. Even the colors have been decimated..." her voice trailed off, and she shook her head. "What a waste. A blood-red sun, orange sky, and blue grass. Your Professor Snape does not do half work, I must give him that," she stated calmly.

Even though Harry had only known this woman for a couple of hours, and even then, only in his mind, he understood instinctively that Snape should better stay away from this woman. She turned, and looked at him. "Come, Harry. Let's begin. First, close your eyes, and focus on what you want this place to be..."

Harry didn't have a wild imagination, thanks to a childhood spent without books or television or any of the other things that most people take for granted.

One thing he _did_ have, was a place where he felt safe. Or somewhat, anyway.

Thinking about the place where he felt the safest, he felt a curious tingle spread through his body, even though he knew it was not his real body. When he opened his eyes, he grinned.

Hogwarts castle looked exactly the way it did in reality, its ancient walls straight and true as they reached for the skies, the deep lake behind it reflecting the strange orange-red skies without fault, and the Forbidden Forest off to one side no doubt housing the most diverse and dangerous magical animals.

"Interesting," Ken said levelly, glancing from the castle to him. "Are you sure that the teachings you have received were all that you showed me?"

Harry nodded, grinning widely. For the first time since Sirius' death, he felt better about himself. He blinked, and looked at his teacher. "I feel better," he said without thinking about _why_ he said it. She nodded at him.

"Of course you do, my student," she answered calmly. "You finally have a center, a point of balance, in your mind. Every person has one, usually subconsciously creating one when they need it and tearing it down when no longer of use. It usually is a place where they feel safe, comforted, or at peace. Not uncommonly, it involves members of family or close friends." She looked at the castle again. "Your mind was damaged to the point where it could no longer create such a safe point on its own. As I instructed you to do so, it has started healing."

She motioned to the skies. "Look."

Slowly, but visible to their eyes, the color of the skies changed, slowly lifting in color. The blood-red sun, too, changed to something more suited to reality. It was slow going, but Harry could notice the definite improvement. "Good. You are healing. Now we begin our training, for real, this time."

He nodded. "Of course, Ken Sensei."

She smiled indulgently at him, then nodded briefly. "You have created a castle as your permanent safe-point on your first try in the Mental Landscape. If you can do just as well with the rest of your lessons, we can being our _real_ lessons in no time." She ginned at him, and it sent shivers down his spine. It was most definitely _not_ a nice grin. "We will show those teachers of yours, and we will show that dark wizard that keeps targeting you."

He swallowed. "K-Ken Sensei?" he couldn't bring himself to ask anything, and just stated her name in fear and confusion.

"My apologies," she sated calmly, back to her normal self. "I hate meddlers and people who run other people's lives for them. I have dealt with my share of those... and I have a great dislike for them. People's destinies are their own, and no truth sayer or clairvoyant can change that, and people such as your Dumbledore, your teachers and your enemies had better get that through their thick skulls." She smiled mirthlessly at him, and this time, Harry could feel the dark amusement in her facial expression. "Harry, I am going to show you how to do things your Western Wizards have never even thought about."

He looked at her in disbelief. Her mirthless smile grew in amusement. "Western Philosophy has always been about power. They invented armor, and broadswords. They invented tanks, and invented sports such as boxing. Strength and endurance, as if they were mindless idiots. The same thing goes for magic. They favor killing curses, pain curses, and straightforward charms and hexes and other spells. Throw sufficient power at something, and every problem can be dealt with."

She was silent for a few seconds, letting him digest her breakdown of the western culture. She drew a breath, and continued. "Eastern Philosophy favors the smoothness of nature, going with the flow, and disrupting it, instead of trying to stop it altogether. A boxer may be able to knock out a martial artist in one strike, but that involves hitting the target, first. A reasonable Martial Artist will side-step the powerful punch, and break the arm before the boxer will know what hit him. In magic, Westerners favor _Protego,_ the Shield Charm. Us easterners will divert a curse around us, guide it into something harmless, either behind us, or the ground."

"I will show you how to bend magic into shapes you never thought of, and I will show you uses that involve so much control over your magic that it will make your fingers bleed. As with the true martial arts, Eastern Magic is not as easy nor as straightforward as the Western Approach, but the results are so much greater."

Harry swallowed. "Wow."

She grinned, and nodded. "Accurate description," she stated, smiling. "I know you are curious, and I know you will not learn anything unless I abate that curiosity. I will show you... and then we will get back to training, agreed?"

He nodded vigorously. "Allow me to show you the use of Japanese Seals," she said, calmly, drawing something out of thin air with the hand that wasn't holding a staff. It looked the shape of a regular playing card, only three times the size.

"Mahou mo Ken the Plasmatizer asks the Seal, what are you?"

Magic washed over the Seal, and a deep masculine voice growled through the skies as Kanji-symbols filled the previously plain-white card. "I am Burning Hell, bringing Punishment to the Wicked! I ride through the Skies in a Chariot of Fire!" A fireball, greater and bigger than Harry had ever seen them, leaped from the woman's fingers, dashing through the skies and disintegrating a nearby rock, striking it directly into dust.

"W... without a wand," Harry whispered.

"Yes," she stated calmly. "Seals do not require wands. As a trade-off, the spell itself is longer, and the incantation takes precious seconds to finish. It is useful as some sort of artillery, to bombard your opponent from far away, before he is within range of wand-casting."

Harry nodded, realizing at once how much she was going to teach him, and how different the magics he was going to learn would be. He turned to her. "Could you show me more? _Please_, Sensei?"

She glared at him. "I will demonstrate more when you finish your next lesson." She pointed to the rock she had just struck into gravel. "Rebuild that rock. And no, I don't want you creating another rock. I want you to rebuild _that_ rock."

He nodded dejectedly. That had been their deal, and he had tried to come back on it. Feeling somewhat ashamed of himself, he nodded. "I'm sorry, Sensei."

She sighed. "I understand how different everything is, Harry. But remember that you can't learn from watching me. You must learn to do things yourself."

He focused on the rock instead of answering her. Squinting, and finally closing, his eyes, his focus sharpened. Incredibly, his awareness of the rock _increased_, and he started to feel the outline of the different pieces of gravel... and at once, the whole picture formed in his mind, and he clamped down on it.

The next thing he knew, his behind hit the blueish-green grass of the Hogwarts he had created in his mind. He opened his eyes, panting deeply, as he started at the spot where he had recreated a rock.

"Impressive work for your first time," Ken said, nodding in approval. "That was a lot harder a challenge than the creation of your permanent safe-point was. Congratulations." She looked at him. "I will show you another thing that you will learn, just as I promised."

Harry nodded, still panting and sweating with exertion, but managing to get himself back on his legs to witness her next demonstration. She lifted her staff off the ground, and turned around, looking for a good target. Was it his imagination, or did she limp in her right knee? He ignored it. He wanted to witness her demonstration.

Finally, she seemed to have found something. "That tree... it's not a regular tree, is it?"

"It's the Whomping Willow," Harry explained. "Come too close to it, and it will hit you, and injure you tremendously." He bit back on the sadness as his memory filled in the rest of the story... how it hid the entrance to the secret tunnel leading to the Shrieking Shack, where his father, his Godfather, and their friends, used to gather. He swallowed back the guilt at the loss of his godfather, Sirius Black.

Ken put her free hand on his shoulder. "We will make new memories for you, Harry. Happy ones. But in order to do that, we will first need you to learn to survive." She brandished her staff, hefting it in the air, and turning the head to the Whomping Willow, a fairly great distance away. "Kuzuryusen."

No less than _nine_ blue-white flashes left the head of her staff, all of them curling away, and hitting the tree at a different side and angle, reducing it to a pile of lumber in just a few seconds. "That is Kuzuryusen, the Nine-headed Dragon flash. It's a great spell to use when cutting vegetables or fruits... but it comes into its own when used against opponents. It will attack from nine different points simultaneously. From the left shoulder, it will go down, slantwise to the right, towards the right hip. At the head, it will go straight down. At the right shoulder, it will go slantwise to the left, towards the left hip. At the right side, it will go straight to the left. At the right hip, it will go slantwise up to the left, meeting the slantwise down slash from the left shoulder. At the groin, it will move straight up, meeting the one coming down from the head. At the left hip, it will go slantwise up to the right, meeting the one from the right shoulder. At the left side, it will go straight to the right, meeting the one from the right side. The ninth and final beam is a straight thrust to the center of the body."

She swallowed, licking her lips after her lengthy explanation. "It will break any and all defenses. Nine simultaneous attacks are impossible to stop. At worst, your opponent will be injured lightly. At best, he will be split apart like that tree." She turned to him. "Now... grow it back."

He groaned. "And I can't grow a new one, right?"

"You're learning," Ken said, grinning in approval as Harry got to work. For some reason, it felt easier to do than the rock had been, but Harry didn't comment on it. He just subscribed it to the fact that the second time was supposed to be easier than the first.

"Good, Harry," Ken replied with a small nod of her head. "You're learning fast. Now, what we must learn first is how to protect your mind." She motioned around. "This is a permanent safe-point, created out of your conscious will, not your subconscious desire. Therefore, it will reflect your physical state... and your physical state will reflect your mental state. Notice the color of the sky, the grass, and the walls."

Harry looked around, at the orange sky without a single cloud in it, the orange-red sun, the blue grass, and the purple stones of Hogwarts castle. Slowly, all of them were growing toward their natural colors. He nodded at her after finishing his inspection.

"As we progress, your mind will gain strength, and it will gain a hold over your body. You will be able to direct your body's healing efforts. You will be able to have some measure of control over your autonomous processes. And with that control will come greater strength. However, it will come at a price."

Harry swallowed, and almost wanted to come back on their deal. That last statement had been made with such cold finality that it had sent shivers down his spine. "What do you mean, Ken-Sensei?"

"As your mind gains strength, so will your body. However, such strength comes at a price. The hours of hard work will go to the detriment of friends and loved ones, locked in a meditative state. Indeed, especially these first few months, you will do little else. We must strengthen you, repair the damage that was done to you, and in order to do that, time is needed. Time we do not have, and we must draw upon the fact that your body is still young and can still recuperate incredibly fast if it needs to. Then, and only then, will we begin combat training."

Harry nodded, for a moment fearful of what would be asked of him. He swallowed. "The next couple of months, I don't have anything better to do anyway... so let's get training, Ken-Sensei!"

She nodded, a pleased smile on her face. "Unfortunately, I must leave you, my duties call me. Before our next meeting, I want you to turn these colors back to normal. Turn the sky blue, the grass green, and the stones gray-black. After you do that, you can sleep." She grinned devilishly then. "I will either find you still working, or I will wake you when our next meeting is at hand."

Harry nodded, almost feeling excited about doing homework for a change. Mucking around in this mental landscape seemed like such an interesting challenge that he simply couldn't resist the temptation. With a final nod, Ken blurred and vanished from his mindscape, and Harry looked around. Finally deciding, he sat down, and stared at the purplish walls of Hogwarts, and put his concentration on changing the color of the stones.

00000

It was many hours later that Harry's eyes snapped open. He groaned as he lifted himself out of bed, swaying and turning as his legs seemingly refused to carry his weight. Crashing into a wall, he clung to it as if it were a life-preserver, trying to force himself upright. He felt sick, incredibly so, and stumbled into the bathroom. Taking one look in the mirror, he almost vomited right there and then. The color of his skin was an ashen gray, his usually vibrant green eyes lay deep and cold in their sockets, and deep, black bags were visible all around them.

Stumbling over to the toilet, he finally let his stomach do as it wished. Heaving the contents of an empty stomach was not a pleasant experience to Harry, and one he fought with every fiber of his being. It took him five long minutes before his raging body had settled down, and he lay panting on the bathroom floor, too exhausted to try and make the trip back.

Finally gathering the courage long minutes later, he crawled back to his bedroom, and made it into his bed before dropping out like a light, having never felt so sick before in his life.

For his comfort, he got way too little sleep as Ken burst into one of his dreams and demanded attention. He woke up to his mindscape, the air a pale blue, the grass a pale shot of green, and the walls a grayish black.

"Not bad," Ken nodded, before looking down at him. "How are you feeling?"

"Sick," he croaked.

She nodded again. "I bet. Don't worry, you'll get used to feeling like that... it's the downside of learning in mindscape." She put a hand on his shoulder. "We'll ease off once you're at Hogwarts. But, as you said, while you're at those normals' home, you have nothing else to do. Just make sure you eat next time, okay?"

"Eat?" Harry groaned, feeling sick again. "I can't eat, not like this."

"You are only as sick as you allow yourself to be, Harry," Ken told him calmly. "Your body is reacting to your mind, and your mind in turn, is reacting to your body. They have been ignoring each other for so long that they don't know how to live together. It will get better, I promise." She looked around once again. "You really did a good job, for a first-timer. I didn't expect you to be able to finish it, to be honest."

Harry just nodded, too sick to speak, but secretly happy that she was being straight with him. "Next lesson," she said, grinning at his sick look. "I want you to picture one room in that castle. One room where you feel safest of all, one room where you can not imagine ever being hurt. That room will be your strong point."

He looked at her. "I... don't know any rooms like that..."

She shook her head. "It doesn't have to be in the real world. But in here, this is _your_ mind, Harry. This is where you will defend your mind. I want you to build, inside that castle, one room where you feel absolutely and unconditionally safe. We will build that up to be your strong point, slowly, the two of us. I will show you mental defenses, and you will implement them, slowly, one by one, into this room. But first, _you_ are the one who must create it."

He nodded, and closed his eyes, trying to picture a room, any room, where he could feel completely and absolutely safe. He pretty much dismissed the dorms immediately, as he did with the Great Hall where all the meals took place. He ignored the classrooms and the hallways, and he ignored the Common Rooms and dormiories of the children of the other houses. Finally, he was left with only a couple of options, and one of those startled him.

But this was his mind... and he had to say that even in the real world, it was where he would, without a doubt, be the safest, if only he had ready access to it. He opened his eyes, and looked at Ken. "I have a room."

She smiled at him, and nodded. As he started walking towards the castle, she took two steps and stopped him. Those two steps were all it took, but his impression of yesterday was confirmed.

She limped in her right leg.

She noticed his glancing at her leg, and nodded. "Battlefield healing," she explained. "I was weeks away from a Healer, and had to do it myself. I'm a good fighter, Harry, but a lousy Healer. They could fix me later, of course, but I chose to keep it, as a symbol of the months I spent fighting for my cause."

He just swallowed, and nodded stiffly. "Now," she went on in exactly the same tone, as if she hadn't just told him about a nearly-crippling injury. "This is your mind. We do not walk. We shift locations. Think of the room you want us to be in, and picture us there. Focus... and focus hard, and it will be so."

Harry closed his eyes, wishing to think about the room he had in mind. Time and again, his mind went back to Ken's injury. Time and again, he refocused his mind on the room. Finally, his determination paid off, and for a while, he even forgot about how sick he had been, and how bad he still felt. Picturing the two of them there was easier, but he focused on it with an almost fanatical determination now, hoping not to disappoint Ken, his teacher, who was projecting herself into his mind from half a world away in order to teach him. He wanted her efforts to be worth something, and not be a waste of time.

She touched his shoulder, and Harry startled. Opening his eyes and letting out a small yelp, he found the two of them in the room he had pictured.

"Nice," Ken commented.

"It's the Headmaster's office," he whispered. "Without the Headmaster, it's probably the safest room in Hogwarts. " He looked around. The office was bereft of the pictures of the previous headmasters, and all the items that Headmaster Dumbledore kept were gone as well. The room looked barren, with only the desk and the perch of the Headmaster's Phoenix. For a moment, he wished for Fawkes.

"I can see that," Ken replied levelly. "Come, I'll begin our lesson on mental defenses, then leave you to build them." She looked at him. "But don't forget, you want me to be able to come in. I will show you what you need to do. Don't make a mistake, or this will be the last meeting we have... we won't be able to communicate if you mess up."

He swallowed, and vowed silently to pay extra attention to her, even more than he usually did.

A couple of hours later, Ken stepped back. "That's the basis for mental defense, Harry. Now I want you to build up your first level defenses, just around this room. This is your strong point, the heart of your mental defenses. We will need to build it up first."

Harry nodded. "The strong point is where the mental defenses are anchored, and it is where the strongest and oldest shields are located," he said. "Upon that anchor, the other shields are built, interconnecting to drain away excess energy and protect each other in layers. The strong point, the anchor, is also where your core personality should be located, so it is protected the most. The most important memories are located there as well... and we can't protect them all because that would take too much energy."

Ken nodded with a smile on her face. "You were paying very good attention, Harry. More impressive even, considering that you haven't eaten in over a day, and the state you were in when I contacted you." She grinned wider at him. "I'll show you another technique I intend to teach you as a reward." She motioned to the window. "Picture us back outside."

This time, it didn't take him that much work, and once again Harry subscribed it to the fact that the second time, something was a lot easier than the first time. They reappeared back where they were when they entered.

"This will be in one of our later lessons," Ken said. "Advanced manipulation of the Element of Air." She drew a breath, let it out. "Please be quiet, the amount of concentration is immense, and even though I can do this under combat conditions, doing it in your mind half a world away is... tiring."

He nodded, and took a step back, feeling something... _shift_ within his teacher. Her staff appeared in her hand, materializing out of thin air. As she lifted it, her hair started moving on a magical wind that seemed to come from her body. Her lips moved silently, but Harry still felt something warp around her, tugging at her kimono, while simultaneously moving out from her, dragging at his robes and pulling at his hair. Turning his head so the wind wouldn't cut off his breath, Harry managed to keep watching as Ken jabbed her staff at the skies, screaming her spell.

"Raikou!"

A single bolt of pure light seemed to knife through the air, turning the Whomping Willow to ashes, while going on, burning the ground that was a full meter beneath it, before the lightning bolt hit a rock, smiting it to dust.

"Lightning," she said, grinning at the shocked look on his face. "And that is real lightning, not some half-ass concoction your Western Wizards would have you pass off as lightning."

"Wow," Harry breathed.

She grinned, and clapped him on the shoulder. "It's time I go to my duties. This lesson has been most enjoyable for me... you are a most dedicated pupil. Now, go to protecting your strong point, and we will continue this with lesson two tomorrow."

Harry just nodded, bidding her goodbye even as her shape was already blurring and vanishing.

He remained alone, thinking, for close to five minutes after his teacher had left. After all she had shown and told him, he took a while to digest everything before shifting back to the Headmaster's office, sinking into the chair that was Dumbledore's in real life, and closing his eyes. Before his mind, a map was pictured, a map of Hogwarts and its surrounding grounds, built to perfection after years of studying a piece of Parchment known as the Marauder's Map, a magical map that showed the grounds, all of its secret passages, and the location of everyone on the grounds.

This time, the Marauder's Map was devoid of life, bar one, himself, sitting in Dumbledore's office. He grinned for just a few seconds, and let the Map drift from his mind. Focusing back on the task at hand, he started building shields, following the outlay that Ken had shown him.

He didn't know how long he was at it. All he knew was that, at one point, he stopped and admired his handiwork. The shields he had constructed clung to the walls of this mindscape office, reaching out and covering everything in a rough sphere of interconnected shields. By themselves, they were straight and flat, but Harry had woven them together to form a nearly perfect sphere, building and putting pressure on each and every one.

He smiled slightly. This would allow his shields to absorb the damage of their neighbors, and it's neighbor's neighbors. He knew of himself that his shields were of mediocre quality at best, but he hoped that this formation would allow them to survive for a longer time.

As he sat there, admiring the shining white of the mental shielding, he frowned, and started thinking. Just how did shields hold out an attack? He had blindly assumed that Legilimency would put some kind of pressure on his shields, and he had constructed them as such.

Even though Harry wasn't the brightest student in Hogwarts, he still was an above-average student, and he realized that pressure was one thing. What if his shields were attacked in some other fashion? Say... pulling, instead of pushing? Or what if, his shields were attacked by some kind of mental knife, cutting, instead of pushing?

He grunted. He would have to make sure that his shields would keep under _any_ circumstances. This was not a job he could do half-hearted... Mahou mo Ken, the bodyguard to the Japanese Emperor, was tutoring him, and he was not about to fail that chance!

Standing up, he felt no side-effects of remaining in the chair for the time it had taken him to lace his shields together. Stepping around the desk, he looked at it from the side he had seen so many times, each and every time he had been summoned in to see the Headmaster. He glanced at the ground beneath the desk, and decided that it was the center of this room... and therefore, it would be the center of his protections.

Building a single anchor point straight into the Hogwart's floor wasn't easy, but somehow, he pulled it off. His single anchor, a vicious rock-like ring, was now fused so solidly into the structure of this mental Hogwarts that it formed a single entity with it, and Harry felt somewhat confident that it would survive as long as his mental Hogwarts would.

Slowly, he started lacing tendrils of mental energy, not drawn out shields but single strands of energy, from the ring to the shields, anchoring them in place against being pulled outward. As he worked, he could feel no pain and no exhaustion, finally taken by a project that would change his life, feeling confident and powerful, and oh so good about himself.

After he finished, another indeterminable amount of time had passed, and he admired his structure. Suddenly he realized that these ropes of mental energy were unlike ordinary, or even wizarding, ropes... they looked solid, straight as arrows, and rigid, like concrete.

He put some force on one. It didn't budge as he put his entire weight on it, dangling from the thin mental strand like a monkey would dangle from a tree branch. Somehow feeling foolish for not having noticed this as he worked, Harry sat down and thought about this some more.

Now safely warded against pulling, each of his individual shields had been anchored at even intervals to the central anchor point, Dumbledore's Office now looking quite full, but nowhere near crowded. However, it was the implications of the mental strands that got Harry thinking.

The shields were now firmly anchored, and couldn't be pulled outward. However... the strands were rigid, and would keep the shields in place against the other side as well! He grinned suddenly. Without realizing it, he had made his hollow sphere into an almost solid one.

He hadn't found any solutions against cutting yet, and that fact bugged him a little. Suddenly, he yawned, and fatigue and illness hit him like a sledgehammer. He grinned, and shook his head. "I've done enough for one night, I think," he muttered to himself, allowing his handiwork one final look before vanishing.

Out in the real world, Harry barely made it to the toilet in time, his empty stomach heaving violently again. After long minutes, the shaking subsided, and his body calmed down, and Harry risked a glance at his wristwatch.

Three am.

Assured that his aunt, uncle, and cousin were asleep, Harry stole downstairs, into the kitchen, and decided to take Ken's advice. He forced a piece of bread down his throat. The moment his stomach had food in it, it made its presence known in a less violent and more natural way, and Harry realized he was starving.

It was four thirty when he pulled the covers over him, smiling, as he thought about the huge amount of food he had ingested, not realizing it should have been physically impossible for him to do so.

He awoke not four hours later, as someone started pounded on his door. "Open this door, you ungrateful brat, or I will break it down!"

Uncle Vernon.

Harry's aching eyes closed against the harsh light. Slowly, he groaned and lifted himself out of bed. Squinting painfully against the pounding headache, Harry moved to open the door, the incessant pounding hardly rising above the pounding of the blood in his ears.

"Yes?" he asked, his voice a harsh whisper as Uncle Vernon, all hundred plus kilograms of him, stumbled at the sudden opening of the door.

"Did you eat..." His voice trailed off as he took note of Harry, the squinting, blood-shot eyes, the pale, gray skin, the hunched appearance. "You look like crap boy."

"Thanks," Harry muttered calmly, moving to turn and close the door, wishing to just go right back to sleep.

"Don't you ignore me, boy!" Vernon hollered, grabbing Harry's shoulder, and holding him in place. "Did you eat all the food in the kitchen!?"

Harry didn't move, unable to get out of Vernon's grip even if he was totally fit, let alone now that he was feeling as sick as a dog. "Do I look like I can eat?" he muttered, not doing anything to hide the state he was in.

Vernon muttered under his breath, and released Harry, having to hand it to the boy that he was right about that. The big man didn't appreciate Harry for it, though.

The next moment, pain blossomed across his cheek, and Harry felt the world tumble upside-down for just a few seconds before hitting the ground. "Don't smart-mouth me, boy."

Harry kicked the door shut after Vernon's retreating back, somehow making it back into his bed, right before he passed out.

The all-encompassing darkness of the deep sleep had enveloped him completely, and Harry didn't feel pain or sick. Nor did he dream.

When he 'awoke' in the mindscape, he managed a small smile at Ken. "Good to see you, Ken-Sensei," he whispered, not even feeling up to his full strength, even in mindscape.

She just looked at him for a few seconds. "What happened?"

"I ate," he replied in his harsh whisper, sounding like it was moving through a cheese grater. "And my uncle found out."

She sighed, but the look on her face made Harry even more resolute to stay on this woman's good side. "You are only as sick or as wounded in here as you allow yourself to be," she repeated yesterday's lesson. "Before we go look at your shields, I want you to heal your mental self. As long as your mental self is okay, your body will be, too."

He nodded, and closed his eyes.

Five minutes later, he was indeed feeling a lot better. He looked up, and smiled at Ken. "Thank you, Sensei."

She dipped her head. "You're welcome, my young student. Come, let us see the status of your shields."

Harry nodded, and closed his eyes, willing them to his strong point. To his utter surprise, he was alone there, Ken not having come with him.

Surprised, he looked around. "Ken-Sensei? Where are you?" He didn't receive a reply, and tried again five seconds later. "Ken-Sensei?"

Something pounded on his shields, and he frowned, wishing himself to be where the disturbance was.

"Good, that got your attention," Ken replied levelly, smiling slightly. "These are very good shields, Harry. No, I should say... they are incredible shields, especially for someone with so little formal training. I'll teach you some more things, of course, to increase the strength of your shields, as well as how to conserve your mental energy. You can't go running around with all your shields on at full blast... you'll drive yourself insane. But first... I think, this has earned a reward." She motioned to a wall. "Bring us outside."

Harry nodded, and half a second later, they were back at their initial spot. He had to admit, he was getting rather good at moving through his mindscape.

"As always, for a job well done, I will demonstrate a technique to you." Ken lifted her sword. "A sword technique, this time." She drew her katana, and turned to look at the Whomping Willow. Her right foot stepped forward... and then she vanished. The next moment, Harry saw her near the Whomping Willow, one of its branches on the ground form where it had obviously had tried to hit her.

To Harry's surprise, the tree made no further attacks, and Ken remained standing there, in a crouch with her sword tip to the ground, held in a double-handed grip.

Slowly, a slantwise slash became visible, the tree slowly slipping apart, hitting the ground soon after, cut neatly in half. Ken 'stepped' back next to him.

He stared at her. The speed at which she had reached the tree, cutting off one of its branches and defeating it in the same slash, was incredible.

"I showed you _two_ techniques," she stated calmly. "Shinpou, the flash step."

Harry swallowed. "Is that like Apparition?"

She shook her head. "It's an incredibly fast, incredibly short-range teleportation. Think of it like taking a magically enhanced step... an incredibly fast step. You don't teleport per se... but you move so fast that everybody will think you have. Unless your opponent is trained in a similar technique, he or she will not be able to keep up."

He swallowed again, and nodded.

"The second technique I showed you is the downward slash. I will teach you how to put similar power, speed, and accuracy behind your swings."

He stared at her with open mouth, not believing his sheer luck that his teacher would teach him how to use a sword as well! "T-thank you, Ken-Sensei," he whispered.

She nodded, understanding where his shocked look came from. "You're welcome, Harry."

"C-can I ask one more question? And you don't have to answer if you don't want to..."

She looked curiously at him. "I'm not going to like this question, am I?" she asked, with a small smile. "Doesn't matter. Ask. The worst I can do is tell you 'no'."

He nodded. "You're so incredibly strong... and you're going to teach me so many incredible things... are all Japanese Wizards as strong as you? And if they are... why haven't you taken over the world by now?" he asked the last part with complete seriousness, his psyche so ingrained by Voldemort and cohorts that he had a lot of trouble believing in the kindness of people.

She nodded. "I understand where you're coming from," she answered levelly, and turned to face him, her limp once again showing as she turned. "No, not all Japanese Wizards are as strong as me... but most of them are stronger than a comparable Western Wizard. As to why we haven't taken over the world... why would we do that? Japanese Wizards have always been interested in one thing only... and that is the protection of Japan, our island home." She swallowed. "We didn't even join in World War two, until the end. When the non-magicals invaded us, we threw them off so badly that they could have thrown their entire army against us, and still lose."

She swallowed. "There are just a few of us left. Most of us were concentrated in the magical cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki."

Harry swallowed. Even he, with his limited education, knew what that meant. "They... they..."

"They nuked us, Harry. Japan surrendered because 95 percent of its magical population, and all of its prominent magical families, were killed by the non-magicals with just two bombs. That, and not the weapons themselves, was the true reason for the surrender." She shook her head. "So much knowledge and power was lost," she said, sadly.

Harry just stood there, silent, not knowing what to say. Noticing his shock, she shook her head.

"Don't feel bad for us, Harry. That event was a horrible curse; yet it was also a blessing at the same time. Before then, the Japanese magical families had divided all power and influence between them, the lesser families and magical people born from non-magical people were treated as second-class. They were servants, almost slaves, by nothing else than their family name. They found the rest of the world not worth their attention, the reason why they kept out of the war until the allies landed on our shores. Then... Japanese magical might, developed through hundreds of years of continuous training, was unleashed."

"The allies' landing was nothing short of disastrous. That was when the bombs dropped... in two fell flashes, we lost ninety-five percent of our power and knowledge. Overnight, the Japanese magical community pulled together, trying to save as much of the old knowledge and power as was possible. Lesser things, like blood and name, were put aside. Of course there were those who clung to the old ways, but they vanished quickly as their power base no longer existed. After we pulled together, we vowed... vowed to train each other, and look out for each other. There are less than a thousand of us, Japanese wizards, even now. We each know each other, as close to one family as we can be. And as mistrusting as we are of non-magicals, so caring we are for each other. That is why I came to help you when you shouted for help... the cry for help of one of our own, even if he is not of our nationality, is not something a modern Japanese wizard would ignore."

"Wow," Harry breathed.

She smiled grimly, then nodded. "Now, let us get on with our next lesson in mental defense... I will show you a couple of new techniques to strengthen your shields. They are incredibly well built, but there are still a couple of things we need to work on."

Harry nodded grimly.

"Put us back in your strong point," she instructed, and he did so, almost without either of them feeling it. She nodded in satisfaction, then motioned for his shields. "What you built here are incredibly resilient shields, able to withstand most direct attacks of brute strength without flinching. However, there are two things we must still work on." She fell silent, allowing him to think about the problem himself.

"Two things, Ken-Sensei?" he asked, confused. "All I can think of would be cutting or slashing... I haven't found a way to strengthen them against that."

She nodded. "Cutting and slashing is indeed one of the things we must work on. The second thing, however, is how to keep your mental integrity intact. Your shields, under direct assault, will be forced to withstand vast amounts of energy, and your opponent, contrary to you, has to focus his energy in a tight spot, instead of protecting a wide area. You must learn how to install conduits that will allow your shields to bleed away these energies they're repelling."

Harry nodding, beginning to understand. "Defending is always worse than attacking..."

"Exactly," Ken replied, a satisfied smile on her face. "You are a quick student. Now, let me show you what to do, and leave you to it."

Harry nodded, and an hour and a half later, his teacher was about to say her goodbyes when he stopped her.

"Ken-Sensei, not that I am ungrateful... but, when will you teach me how to use this in real life? I mean, I still don't know how to get here without falling asleep... and if I am attacked, I don't have time to go to sleep."

Ken nodded. "That is true. However, what I am teaching you is a different technique than what your Professor Snape tried to teach you. I am teaching your mind to protect itself, rather than teaching you to protect it. I will teach you what you need to know once you have perfected these shields. But I think you will learn what you need to know on your own before that." She held up her hand to forestall his objections. "Before you object, if you don't figure it out by yourself, I will teach you what you need to know. I am not cruel... I will teach you what you need to know, and I will do a good job of it, as well."

Harry just nodded gratefully as she vanished.

Immediately, he relocated to his strong point, now so proficient at it that it took but half of a thought before he felt the mindscape alter around him. Looking at the interlocking shields, he understood now how he should alter them next, Ken having explained the final steps on creating strong shields. He smiled slightly at her claim that he was a fast student, that usually it took weeks for someone to reach this stage, but he ignored his own thought after just a few seconds.

He needed to alter his shields, he needed to alter them _now_, and he needed to do it _right_. After all, it wasn't until after his mind was shielded that Ken was going to start teaching him, and that was the real treat he had been waiting for... the ability to cast spells that warped the very fabric of reality, not just throwing brute strength at the problem, but attacking things from a different angle, a more powerful yet, at the same time, slower method.

Focusing once more on his shields, they started to warp and alter.

Time passed, and Harry stood there, at the exact center of his strong point, legs spread, body above his anchor point, staring at his shields, _willing_ for them to change, to submit to the strength of the will he never knew he had. The will that Ken was teaching him to access now, the will that warped this very mindscape, the strength of will that returned his strength each time he woke up in the mindscape.

Finally, he sighed, relaxed, and fell into the headmaster's chair, looking with a smile at the results of his work.

Instead of dozens of interlocking flat shields that roughly created a dome, his shields, or rather, his one shield, was now a single entity, a sphere consisting out of interlocking hexagons, each hexagonal shape its own entity in effect. The edges between them were pathways of energy, fueling the shield within the hexagon, yet also taking the strain and distributing it around the entire shield, and finally, down into his anchor point should it become necessary. Ken had assured him that a shield, constructed to these specifications, was virtually impenetrable. Should he choose to, he could maintain the shield up to the very point his mind would shatter under the strain. Of course, at that point, his shield would fail as well, but nothing would be gained from entering a shattered mind, not even able to remember its own name, let alone contain any useful information.

He stood up, knowing that enough time had passed with him admiring his own handiwork. Shifting out of the shields, comfortable in the knowledge that his strong point was protected, and his most precious memories, as well as his core personality, would be safe, he started walking out through the halls of Hogwarts. The best defenses were layered, Ken had explained. No mind would be able to keep up the type of shields that he had put around his strong point around a wide area. Time passed again, but Harry lost all sense of how long it had been, the mindscape protecting him from such little bothers. Finally, he shifted back into his strong point, knelt down over the anchor, and closed his eyes.

The first layer, around his strong point, had been established perfectly now. He focused on spherical shields, and pushed them outward. Traveling through walls, empty rooms, and the very earth on which this mental version of Hogwarts had been built, the shield expanded until Harry breathed out, unable to push it out any further. Immediately, he locked it down at the furthest point it would go, and started connecting it to his anchor via the same mental strands he had used on his primary shields. These secondary shields were tough and strong, and almost gelatinous in mental substance, Harry thought. They would be able to buckle and waver, making it harder to cut through them, and able to dissipate an all-out brute-force attack through 'physical' movement, even though there was not really such a thing in the mindscape, Harry thought.

Stepping out of his secondary shield, back to what was fast becoming his usual spot in here, Harry stood and looked at his mental Hogwarts, the castle directly in front of him, the Whomping Willow visible in the distance, and the Forbidden Forrest off to his side.

"Okay, Harry," he said to himself. "You've got decent first level shields, and your secondary levels are just as good." He drew a breath. "You're not done yet," he berated himself. Squinting, he focused on his mindscape. A trench appeared, reaching around the Hogwarts castle, a drawbridge materializing as if on its own. As the trench deepened, it filled with watter, becoming a moat. Harry grinned. Nothing in this mindscape was as it should be in reality, and only Harry knew that the 'water' in the moat was combustible. His tertiary shields weren't so much shields as they were attacks against intruders, designed to burn to a crisp any mind trying to invade this place.

Turning around, he found his mind reacting to the strengthening he had done to it today, and he reached out with the strength of will he hadn't known a week ago, creating advanced sensors, heeding to Ken's warning. The ground did not exist, and he had to make sure that he kept thinking in three dimensions.

Harry, the Quidditch-star at Hogwarts, was used to thinking three-dimensionally, and he was glad for it. Who knew that flying on a broomstick, trying to dodge two bowling-ball sized Bludgers while simultaneously trying to catch a small, almost impossible to see, Golden Snitch would be good for mental defenses?

His sensors spread out, as sensitive as he could make them, and he could feel his strong point reacting.

Dropping to one knee, panting with exhaustion, Harry relaxed. That was the last of his jobs here today... even though Ken had told him not to overdo it, and that it was perfectly normal for him to take a couple of days to get everything set up. He hadn't wanted to wait, and here the results were... everything was up, sensors, three lines of defense, and a spot where he could oversee everything should it become necessary.

He hoped that Ken's next lesson would include on how to get here while he was under attack...

He blinked, and left mindscape, totally exhausted.

00000

He awoke halfway through the afternoon, covered in dried sweat, starving, and feeling sicker than he had ever felt before. Crawling out of bed, he wolfed down the food that the Dursleys had shoved through the cat-flap of his door. He tried the door. It was locked, and Harry sighed, knowing that he wouldn't be able to expect any help from them anymore.

He was still starving by the time dinner was shoved through his door, and it vanished too, in less then no time.

Still hungry, Harry had no other choice but to fall asleep again, just as much a prisoner as he had been a couple of years before, back to square one. Wishing himself asleep, he got his wish a couple of hours later. His condition didn't lean itself to staying up into the long hours.

He awoke in the mindscape, parched and hungry, but totally alone. He frowned... how did he get here, if Ken wasn't here to help him? He realized that he entered his mindscape for the first time without help, and it made him feel somewhat giddy on the inside, but that was soon replaced by a feeling of worry.

Why wasn't Ken here? How did he get here? Did he really do it himself? Could he do it at will now? Ken did say that he would probably figure it out by himself, but Harry didn't know if this was the big revelation that she had been hinting at. If it was, it wasn't much of a revelation at all... because now he was even more confused than before, his many questions could do with an answer.

A shudder went through the mindscape then, and Harry bit back a gasp when he fell to the ground with the intensity of it. The clear blue skies turned dark, and Harry felt a foreboding sense of doom spread through the body he had here in this strange place.

"Who's there!?" he demanded the empty skies.

"It is Ken," a female voice stated.

"Ken?" Harry asked, stunned. "Come in!" he shouted. "You don't have to ask permission, you know that!"

She appeared before him, smiling somewhat crookedly. "It is not so much as not wanting to come in," she stated. "I was not able to come in. Your mind has shielded itself."

Harry stared at his teacher. "Then... it worked?"

She nodded. "I have taught you well, because I was still able to find you... You consciously gave me a marker, a way for me to find you... even if your mind itself was protected. It was very... safe of you."

Harry beamed at her praise.

"Now, let's start with the real training," Ken said, her smile not so nice now. "I will begin by teaching you some theory... direct memory transfer style. I must warn you, this is unpleasant. On the other hand, I can teach you the old-fashioned way, but that will take considerably longer."

Harry swallowed, not really feeling up to being even more sick than he already was. "How much longer, Sensei?"

"Years," Ken answered. "It will take years for you to reach any level of proficiency, even if we train in your mindscape, which is able to learn faster than your body is. If we use this technique, I can teach you the basics of what you need to know in a matter of weeks, and then I can teach you the techniques of fighting. The techniques themselves will need to be learned the old-fashioned way, but I can at least give you the background needed to be able to learn them."

Harry nodded. "I understand... if it's a difference between years and months..."

"It is, Harry," Ken said gently, putting one hand on his shoulder. "I must warn you, though. It will be dangerous, as well as unpleasant. Most people would be severely impacted. You, however, have a huge amount of magical and mental reserves, as demonstrated by the speed at which you built up your mental defenses, after being showed the way. You will be impacted, but not to the point a normal person would."

Harry nodded, feeling somewhat better as she explained what would happen, and why she thought he would be able to pull this off. It felt so much better to be talked to in an up-front and honest manner, rather than being manipulated, the way he was usually treated by everybody else. He found himself respecting his teacher even more.

"Okay, Sensei. If you think I can do this."

"I do," she answered levelly.

"Hit me, then," he said, steeling himself for pain, or anything else she would hit him with. To his surprise, nothing happened.

"We will begin later," she answered with a small smile. "I would like your mind to be back to its full strength first. You already put it under severe strain by making it build shields. Now, we should let it recuperate. In the meanwhile, I will visit one of your questions from yesterday... have you figured out how to protect your mind while you are conscious?"

Harry shook his head. "Not really... but I thought I entered here by myself today..."

She nodded, smiling slightly. "I think you did, too. You were here before I arrived at your shields."

"So..." Harry said, thinking. He found that he was getting better at figuring stuff out. Usually, he just let his brainy friend Hermione figure things out. He was more of a rush-in take-charge kind of person. Now he found himself forced to think and figure things out as Ken refused to just hand him the answers easily. She expected him to figure things out by himself, only helping him when he got really stumped at a problem. He found that he remembered better after thinking of the problem first. "So... I can enter here at a conscious thought?"

She nodded.

"I need to learn how to do that, though," he went on, and she nodded at him again. "Can I do it quickly?"

She smiled at him. "Instantaneously, if need be," she answered. "But it will take practice."

"But... if I'm attacked without knowing? Like... from behind?"

"Were you thinking of defense today?" Ken asked.

He frowned, not understanding the question until he thought about it. "Y-you mean... you couldn't get in..."

"Even if you weren't thinking about defending yourself," Ken finished his statement. "Your mind is now protecting itself. However, it is good to train on getting here quickly. If your mind comes under attack while you are not here, you will know... and you will know how deep they are getting as well. Your mind will do things by itself, or you can direct it, if you focus. Clearing your conscious mind and trusting your mental defenses takes practice, but it is easy once you get the hang of it. That is what your Professor Snape was trying to teach you, even though his methods were... anything but forthcoming."

Her voice was frosty again, and Harry once again knew that he wouldn't want to be Snape if this woman was in his vicinity.

00000

Harry awoke, sometime during the next day, feeling sicker than he had ever felt. And these last couple of days, he had already been feeling incredibly sick, so that was saying something. He groaned, and barely managed to roll over in his bed. His stomach growled, showing its displeasure at being starved, and the boy looked at the food that stood, just behind the cat-flap, in his room. Somehow, he couldn't even bring himself to get up and get it.

A couple of hours later, his lethargy had started to recede, and Harry fell out of bed, pulling himself to the food, falling next to it with a big and heavy thump. He stared at the food for close to ten seconds, not even realizing that he was supposed to eat it, just knowing that it would somehow make him feel better.

Finally, his mind kicked in gear, and Harry started to eat mechanically, the food vanishing at an incredible pace, and soon he was faced with an empty plate, this time staring at it, not realizing where the food had gone.

As his digestion started to kick in, and badly needed nutrients filled his body, Harry started to pick up, and he got up and managed to walk back to the bed, falling down into it, sitting upright and putting his throbbing head in his hands. He felt so incredibly sick...

Letting out his breath, he looked around the small room he was in, his gaze settling on his snowy white owl, Hedwig. He croaked a weak grin at her, and tumbled over to where her cage sat, prominently on his dresser. He fell down against the cabinet, somehow managing to lean against it without falling over.

"Hey girl," he muttered at her. The owl big, brown eyes stared at him in mute anger. "Sorry I've ignored you these last couple of days, girl," he apologized to the smart creature. "I've been... busy."

The owl cocked her head, as if to say 'no kidding'. He smiled weakly at her, managing to open the drawer and pass her a couple of her favorite treats. "I'll be busy for a while longer, girl... will you bear with me?" he asked her, somehow feeling that he needed to ask, even though he knew, deep down, that Hedwig's loyalty would never waver, that she would always be there for him. No matter what he did.

The owl cocked her head in the other direction, as if asking 'what do _you_ think?' before nipping at his fingers, and starting to eat the treats he had put in her cage. He smiled at her, his smile genuine, even if it was incredibly weak. As the owl noticed, her brown eyes seemed to take on an air of worry, right before it vanished, and Harry didn't know whether that flash had been actual intelligence, or his own imagination. "I'm sorry I don't have any work for you, girl. I know you want the exercise," he whispered to his snow-white friend. "I just wish that I knew how to tell this to the others without them saying I was crazy. Or too trusting. Or nag at me. Or anything like that." He sighed, and leaned back against the cabinet. "Thanks for listening, Hedwig. You're a great friend," he whispered to the owl, who looked at him as he staggered back to his bed, falling face-down, dropping right back to sleep.

He was out for hours, probably, before he awoke back in his mindscape, at the exact spot he always materialized, and glanced around. Was it his imagination, or was his mind changing this place? He definitely noticed a small buttercup standing at his feet. It was the only one present in the otherwise pure-green neatly-manicured grassy landscape, its yellow a stark contrast, screaming 'pay attention to me', lost in an otherwise endless ocean of green.

He forget all about his introspection when Ken appeared next to him, a small tug at his mind asking him for permission just a few moments before he granted it automatically, and she appeared.

"Good... evening, Harry," she greeted him.

"Good evening, Ken-Sensei," he replied, dipping his head once, smiling at her. "I know Japanese!" he said, grinning at her; he had figured that out just now, realizing that he had been thinking in Japanese all day. Somehow he had switched back to English to talk to Hedwig... but apart from that, he had been doing his thinking in Japanese.

She smiled. "After what I gave you yesterday, you'd better speak it," she returned, smiling slightly. "I am glad to see you are taking so well to your lessons. Today, we will continue our theoretical transfer. However, there is someone I would like you to meet first."

Harry lifted an eyebrow. "Really? Who, Ken-Sensei? I mean... how will I meet this person?"

She smiled that small smile of hers. "This person is very special to me," she said, Harry at once realizing how much it meant for this woman to say this. "As to how you two will meet... here, of course. If you will allow it."

Harry smiled, realizing how much effort Ken took to avoid giving any information about her mystery guest before he agreed to anything. He realized immediately that Ken hadn't even disclosed her guest's sex. He smiled. "If this person is important to you, Ken-Sensei, then I will trust him or her as well."

She smiled as he played at her avoidance, and dipped her head. She lifted her hand. "Harry Potter, I would like you to meet..." a small tug came at his mind, and he allowed it in. A second figure appeared, slowly taking form, as if this second person had more problems materializing than Ken had. Slowly, the form took shape, the shape of a girl in her mid-teens, looking between fifteen and seventeen, with shoulder-long pitch-black hair and classic oriental features.

Harry swallowed. The girl was dressed in a beautiful blue kimono... and was carrying a sword and a staff. "... my apprentice, Maya," Ken finished the introduction.

"Pleased to meet you," Harry said, in perfect, flawless Japanese. "Welcome to my mind," he added, somehow finding the eloquence to pull the greeting off correctly. Ken's techniques were obviously working, Harry thought to himself, feeling himself more in control over his emotions than ever before.

The girl smiled, bowed at his greeting, and replied in English, "It is a pleasure to be here. Pleased to meet you." He didn't fail to notice that her English was as perfect as his Japanese was, and smiled slightly at Ken, even as he returned the bow.

"It is my intention that Maya will help us greatly in your training," Ken said. "It is great training for her, projecting herself halfway around the world, and she will help you in the practical aspects of the training. Be warned, however... Maya started her apprenticeship under me at age ten, and she will remain as such until she comes of age, at age twenty-one. Meaning that you should not underestimate her."

The girl blushed, shot a glare at Ken, then turned and smiled at Harry. "Don't worry, Harry! Sensei likes to scare people."

Harry smiled halfheartedly, not really knowing what to do with the familiarity between Maya and his... _their_... teacher. "For now," Ken went on, as if Maya hadn't said anything. "Maya will remain here, sitting, as we transfer the basics, building up the strength of her mind, getting ready to help on the practical side of the training later on."

Harry nodded, not really feeling worried about the girl who would be sitting in his mind, as he and Ken... did their thing.

"But first," Ken said, smiling at him, "I know you are dying for something."

Harry glanced at her, for once unable to follow as to what she was talking about.

Ken smiled at him, realizing his confusion, and turned to Maya. "Harry needs to be strong," Ken explained. "And as such, he likes to see sneak previews of what I am going to be teaching him. As a reward for learning his lessons well, I show him some of the more advanced techniques."

"Oh!" Maya said, smiling broadly, turning to Harry. "Isn't Sensei cool when she does that?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, she is," he replied in Japanese. He found it curious how easy it was for them to speak the other's language... as she spoke English to him, he replied in Japanese, and neither had any problems with that arrangement, apparently.

Ken shook her head at her student and her apprentice, then lifted her staff. "In any case, Harry, this is also a technique I will be teaching you. This school of magic is known as the Demon Arts, designed to fight Demons, as their name implies. The initial incantation is quite long, but once activated, it takes but a trigger phrase to bring forth the effect." She pointed her staff at the Whomping Willow, and Harry almost felt sorry for this poor mental representation. "Ye Lord, Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man, Inferno and pandemonium, The sea barrier surges, March on to the south!" Energy lifted around her, and the head of her staff started glowing. "Shakkahou!"

A ball of energy exploded from her staff, reducing the Whomping Willow to ashes, and Harry spared a single thought to rebuild it. It took him not much time to regrow the tree these days, not after how many times it had been burned, stabbed, split, or destroyed in any fashion.

"Shakkahou is the trigger?" Harry asked as the tree regrow.

Ken dipped her head. "You need to activate the spell first, then you can cast it until you lose your focus on it. Usually, that's until the end of the battle," she added the latter with a small smirk. Harry nodded, filing the information away.

He awoke the next morning, he guessed at about ten, even though he couldn't be sure, as he didn't own a watch. Somehow, he felt better. No, that wasn't exactly true. He felt just as bad as he had been feeling for the last week, but now he was getting used to the feeling. Somewhat.

He dragged himself out of bed, ate a little from the stale food that had been placed at his door, and fell down in the only chair his small room had. It faced a small desk, right next to the only window. Harry looked down at his desk, its immaculate surface unmarred by parchment, quills, or books. He didn't feel the need to work on anything for school... Ken was more than taking care of him. He gazed outside, making it a point to ignore the remainder of the bars that had once been in front of the glass, all that remained after a spectacular break-out in his second year.

As Harry felt his attention slip to his training with Ken, he found the world dimming around him, and for a moment, he could see the mental vision of Hogwarts he had built up in his mindscape. He snapped out of his trance when tapping came at his window.

Glancing down at the owl, he opened his window to let the creature in. After taking the parchment from its foot, he gave the owl a couple of owl-treats, something he always had with him, ever since he had Hedwig. It didn't fly off immediately, so Harry guessed it had been instructed to wait for his reply.

He opened the letter.

_Dear Harry, _

_If it is convenient to you, I shall call at number four, Privet Drive this coming Friday at eleven P.M. to escort _

_you_ _to the Burrow, where you have been invited to spend the remainder of your school holidays. _

_If you are agreeable, I should also be glad of your assistance in a matter to which I hope to attend on the way _

_to_ _the Burrow. I shall explain this more fully when I see you. _

_Kindly send your answer by return of this owl. Hoping to see you this Friday, _

_I am yours, most sincerely, _

_Albus_ _Dumbledore_

Harry sat there, somewhat stunned, looking at the letter in his hand. These last couple of years, this would have been a blessing the likes of which he couldn't believe. But now... now he wasn't so sure he wanted to leave. As bad as the Dursleys were, they did leave him alone, and that, above all else, is what Harry felt he needed right now. If he went to the Burrow, to the home of his best friend Ron, he wouldn't be alone, he would be sharing a room with others, and nobody would leave him to sleep for three-quarters of a day. Especially not if the rest of his time was spent being sick and eating.

He sighed. What should he do? If he declined, it would be an insult to his friends. If he accepted, he would have a lot of difficulty to get his training from Ken, and the lessons were just starting to get good.

He grabbed a piece of parchment, took out a quill, and started a letter. Five words later, he balled it up, and aimed it at the wastebasket. He started a new one.

He got ten words before he ripped that one, and aimed it for the basket.

An hour later, he had three carefully worded letters, and a wastebasket that was overflowing with bunched up pieces of parchment. The owl was still waiting for him. He tied the letters to the owl's legs, and told him, "This one is for Albus Dumbledore. The second one is for Ronald Weasley and his family. The third one is for Hermione Granger."

The owl dipped its head to show it understood, and flapped out the window. Harry sighed, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes. Five minuter later, he was back in his mindscape, not realizing that he had gotten there without falling asleep for the first time.

**End of Chapter**


	2. Training

**Mahou** **mo Ken**

All rights to Harry Potter and its world, characters, and settings belong to JK Rowling. I don't own any of its characters, and I am not making any money off this.

**Chapter two – Training**

Harry awoke the next morning, feeling better than he had ever felt before. Contrary to other days, Ken had only put him through light stretching exercises, and they had spent their time talking, rather than training and learning. Ken claimed it was needed, to give Harry's mind a chance to relax and gain strength from what it had learned already.

As Harry literally bounced out of bed, he'd say it had worked. Slowly, he clenched and unclenched and clenched his fist again, staring at it, somehow feeling that his grip was stronger than it had ever been. His body was starting to react to his mind, just as Ken had told him it would do.

But this was nothing... nothing compared to what would happen once Ken started training him, training him for real, using the knowledge he knew he possessed somewhere... if only he knew how to use it.

Closing his eyes, he thought back to the explanation Ken had offered him as he slowly made his way through the kata Ken had shown him, Maya mimicking him, ever silent. Somehow, the girl was absolutely quiet while Ken was teaching, only boisterous and laughing when the lesson was obviously over... or just paused.

Ken's voice flowed through his mind, "_The knowledge I gave you is there, Harry. It is in the back of your mind, in your subconscious, ready for you to release it when most needed, a trickle instead of a flood. Rather than driving you insane with a torrent of information, a torrent your mind couldn't hope to survive intact, my teaching will trickle, forming instincts and reactions, training you better than any teacher could."_ He heard her silence then as his mind replayed her slowly circling him. "_Instead of you thinking about the correct action, my teachings will make you _act_. You will _know _the correct way, and you will do it, rather than having to lose precious time thinking through your options. Harry, you are strong enough to do things this way, one of the few who can go through the transfer and survive the strain on body and mind."_

Harry opened his eyes, and grinned. He glanced at his window and frowned, as an owl came tapping. He shuddered slightly at the red of the envelope.

A Howler.

He grimaced. He'd better take it, or it would explode. And then he'd be in even more trouble.

He wished he could cast a silencing charm, if only the Ministry of Magic didn't prohibit underage people from using their magic. He opened the window, and took the envelope. The owl fled like the wind, and Harry grinned at its disappearance. He would flee, too, if he could.

Silently, he made his way outside, somehow avoiding a run-in with his family, and flew to the backyard, where he hid behind the shed. Ah, the shed... where he had spent so many uncomfortable hours, slaving with the tools of his Aunt Petunia, trying to clean her garden the exact way that she wanted it done. Which was, of course, always different from the way he did it.

He frowned, and opened the red envelope, now that it started to shake and vibrate violently.

The voice that came out was the voice of his best friend's mother, Molly Weasley, who had become almost like a surrogate mother to him over the last couple of years.

_WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU WON'T BE COMING OVER THIS YEAR? JUST WHAT ARE THOSE RELATIVES OF YOURS UP TO NOW!? YOU WILL WRITE BACK TO ME THIS **INSTANT**, AND GIVE ME A VALID EXPLANATION, OR I WILL BE **EXTREMELY** CROSS! AND JUST IN CASE THOSE RELATIVES OF YOURS INTERCEPT THIS, IF YOU HAVEN'T WRITTEN BACK WITHIN TWO HOURS, I WILL PERSONALLY COME OVER THERE AND GET YOU!_

Harry cautiously opened one eye, and glanced from under his arms, which he had thrown over his head. He couldn't help it... it was an instinctive reaction. It wouldn't be the first time someone had thrown something at his head while shouting was going on.

Glad that the Howler had ceased to howl, he sighed, and made his way back to his room. He fell behind his desk, and sighed. Finally, he drew a sheet of parchment out of his trunk, bit on the end of a quill for a good five minutes, then started scratching out a letter. One, he hoped, would explain things... without actually explaining things.

Half an hour later, he tied the parchment to Hedwig's leg, the snowy-white owl staring angrily at him. At least she had stopped trying to bite his fingers after the first five attempts.

"I said I'm sorry, Hedwig," he apologized again. "But the other owl wouldn't leave without an answer..."

Hedwig hooted indignantly, showing at once that she didn't care about other owls. Finally, she seemed to relent when she saw his pleading expression. She hooted once, gently, then flew off, the parchment tied to her leg. Harry sighed, and fell back on his chair. What a day... if the Weasleys ever talked to him again, it would be a miracle. Hermione might understand... but then again, she might not... at least Hedwig was still on his side. He didn't know about Dumbledore, but at least the old wizard had refrained from sending any angry letters after Harry had politely declined going to the Burrow, the Weasley family home. He had said he would be glad to help the headmaster, should it be needed, though. Perhaps that was why Dumbledore hadn't been angry with him.

He just needed his time alone, so he could learn. Learn the knowledge Ken had given him... learn the skills she would be teaching him... learn everything she had to offer, everything she wanted to give him.

He sighed, and flopped on his bed, mechanically chewing on some food he had liberated from the kitchen on his way up after listening to the Howler. He sat straight up. The Dursleys would be making things difficult for him, he just _knew_ it. How could he keep them out of his hair? Even if he didn't practice his magic openly, they were still making it difficult for him... he hardly got any food, and he constantly had to make sure that he made not so much as a single noise. Was it any surprise that he was so adept at sneaking around, when his entire life, he had cultivated the skill of being silent?

Slowly, a grin spread on his face. He _knew_ how he could keep them silent. It was the equivalent of having his cake, and eating it too... his grin widened, threatening to split his features apart.

Hedwig returned, carrying a letter, a normal one, from Ron, and one from Hermione. He sighed again, suppressing a momentary pang of jealousy. Apparently, Hermione was already at the Burrow. He didn't open the letters just yet, instead tying a new one to Hedwig's leg, this one sealed in an envelope, a small gold key present in said envelope right next to the parchment he had written. "Take this to Gringotts, Hedwig... they will give you something. Will you be able to carry it?"

Hedwig cocked her head, as if to say "_Do you doubt me?"_ she then spread her wings and took off again. Harry grinned. This would be the beginning of a beautiful relationship with the Dursleys. He just _knew_ it.

The snowy owl returned about an hour later, in the company of two large eagle owls, each carrying a box in their talons. As Hedwig landed, and her two companions dropped off their loads, she gave Harry an apologetic look, as if asking his forgiveness for not being able to carry everything herself.

"It's alright, girl," Harry comforted his feathered friend, running his finger through her smooth feathers with one hand, before feeding her a couple of treats with his other; he glanced at the three boxes, and grinned widely. After Hedwig settled down in her cage, Harry opened the first box, and extracted an envelope from it.

_Mr_ _Potter,_

_We at Gringotts pride ourselves at being accessible to the owners of our vaults. _

_As such, of course there is no problem with us if you wish to make a withdrawal via owl. In order to do such, it is essential that we receive your key, or a notarized duplicate of said key._

_In other words, the proof you supplied us in the form of a key and a signed letter were indeed all we required._

_As such, I am pleased to inform you that your request has hereby been fulfilled, and the requested funds can be found in the sealed boxes._

_Only the owner of the key, and therefore the vault, can open the boxes. It would be wise to inform spouses, family members, or friends of this fact. The results of unauthorized entry are unpleasant._

Harry swallowed at the words. He could just feel the small wait before the written word 'unpleasant', and for a few moments he thought about what the Gringotts Goblins could find unpleasant. He grinned. At least nobody would be stealing from him here any more than they would try and get to his vault at the bank. He turned back to his letter.

_As your owl was unable to carry the fulfillment of your transaction, we have supplied two running owls of our own to help._

_For our most respected and good clients, this service is, of course, free of charge._

_Should you have any more questions, or wish to deduct further business, I will always be at your service._

_Griphook_

_Potter Vault Manager_

Harry frowned. He had heard that name before… realization hit him. Of course! Griphook was the goblin that took him to his vault that first time, when he was still new to the Wizarding World! He smiled. Obviously, the goblin had been promoted. _Vault Manager, huh?_ Harry's smile only grew wider. _Good for him!_

Taking a quick peek into the other boxes, he nodded to himself; realizing that the Goblins were the only ones he trusted not to stab him in the back for a few measly coins. Money meant nothing to him anyway… except for a means to make others happy.

Carefully, he waited until the evening fell and he heard his Uncle Vernon enter the house. Soon, the melody of tinkering silverware was heard upstairs, and Harry realized his family was having dinner. He waited some more until the sounds died out, and he was sure that everyone was done eating. That would be his chance… as his family digested their meal, they would be at their most calm.

Slowly, he exited his room, and walked downstairs, boxes in hand.

"What are you doing here, boy!?" Vernon growled, hands reaching for the armrests of his large chair, obviously threatening to haul his impressive bulk upright. Harry smiled calmly, and looked at his cousin, Dudley, and his aunt, Petunia.

"I have come to make you an offer you can't refuse, Uncle," Harry then said, eyes roaming his family. He opened one of the boxes, took out a large pouch, and threw it down on the coffee table of the meticulously clean sitting room, making it tinker as the item scampered across the table. Vernon reached for it.

"If this is one of your freak tricks…" Vernon threatened, but his voice stopped as he opened the pouch and a golden shine greeted him. "What is this, boy?"

"Money, Uncle," Harry said, shrugging. "Two thousand Galleons."

"Tha- that's a small fortune, Vernon," Petunia grunted.

Harry nodded. "The reason I am giving you that is simple. Two thousand Galleons, in exchange for two months. All I ask is to be left alone, free of being bullied or beaten," he stared at Dudley, who grinned widely, "And with enough food," he finished, looking at his aunt.

"We can't pay with this freak money!" Vernon shouted, getting out of his chair, his face purple, aiming the pouch with gold at Harry's head, then throwing it solidly. The boy held up a hand and caught the heavy bag easily.

"I thought as much," Harry said, coolly, not knowing where he found the calm from to talk like this to his family. Just weeks ago, he would have been cowering in fright of the beating he could see smoldering in Vernon's eyes. He reached into the second box, and drew out a stack of notes. Bank notes.

"Five thousand Pounds," Harry said, holding up the wad of cash. "For two months."

Vernon's eyes took on a greedy look. "Two months, huh?" he asked, grinning evilly. "That's a rather long time… last couple of years, you haven't even been here that long."

Harry sighed, and took a second bundle. "Ten thousand, but no more," he stated coldly. "With this kind of money, I can go to a hotel for that long, and still be better off. But, I'll make an added deal. Ten thousand, and I'll make sure I keep my freaky ways away from the neighbors. I'll even play the part of being your degenerate nephew who goes to Saint Brutus' School for the Criminally Inclined." Inside, he was chuckling at the look of greed in his family's eyes, and the part about playing a young criminal… well, it would still be fun, that's all. Who wouldn't want that kind of chance?

"Deal, boy," Vernon growled, grabbing the money. Harry smiled.

"You made the right choice, Uncle," Harry aid, smiling widely, putting the pouch with the wizarding money back in one of his boxes. Never mind that the gold in the Galleons was worth more than the ten thousand in paper money Vernon now held. His fat uncle got what he deserved, and Harry had bought his peace of mind.

"But dad…" Dudley whined.

"Be quiet, Dudlekins," Petunia crooned to her obese son. "Leave Harry alone for two months, and we'll buy you a very nice present when he's gone."

Dudley's eyes lit up, and Harry had to suppress a grin. He nodded to his family, made his way into the kitchen, and started eating. He was hungry, and this time, he ate until he was full. Nobody interrupted him, and Harry ate in complete silence… and total peace. The grin was still with him when he locked himself into his room over an hour later. He changed for bed, and tucked in, eagerly awaiting the time he fell asleep and met up with Ken and Maya once again.

Just before sleep claimed him, his thoughts wandered to tomorrow… for a few moments he wondered why his friends hadn't broken the doors down yet, but he knew that tomorrow, tomorrow would be the day he either gained his freedom… or lost it forever.

He awoke the next day, feeling even better than the day before, his second night of rest and recuperation in a row had done him wonders. Once again, he got up and did the hand-clenching exercise, staring at his fist as it formed and released, feeling the new strength in his veins pulsing with every move. Never before had Harry taken note of his physical condition, but now he started to think that maybe, Ken was _right_ when she declared his physical condition atrocious, his strength and stamina non-existent. He drew a breath as he looked up and stared at his image in the mirror. His green eyes shone with determination. He would follow Ken's training program, building up not only his magic but his body as well, and he knew that he would be the stronger for it.

He left the house at around nine, after a hearty breakfast grudgingly provided to him by Aunt Petunia, and made his way to the library, conscious that his every move would be followed by members of the Order of the Phoenix, a group of people dedicated to the protection of the Wizarding society and presided over by his headmaster, Albus Dumbledore.

The same Albus Dumbledore that would be calling to his relatives' house at eleven that very night. He shook off the thoughts, knowing full well that he was no doubt being followed, as he had no doubt been followed that first time he left the house, and once again made his way to the library.

Feeling good and alive for the first time in over a week, Harry grabbed the books on Japan once again, and started reading. At noon, he left for a quick bite and returned soon after, somehow feeling capable of going for round two against the books, and quite happily went back to his self-imposed schedule. He wanted to know, _needed_ to know, the history of Japan. He felt the burning need drive his actions as he read book after book on the end of World War 2, the Atom Bomb, and everything relating to the subject he could find in the library of Little Whinging.

He left the library at five, and made his way home. At six sharp, he joined his family at the dinner table, and once again he had a good and hearty meal, the second one he had gotten at this house… ever. That sharp realization was foremost on his mind as he ate, polishing off two full plates, thanked Aunt Petunia for the meal, and made his way back to his room. He sat on his bed, closed his eyes, and drew in a deep breath. Instantly, the day's stresses lessened. By the second breath, they were almost gone, and on the third breath he fell to the mindscape; realizing this time that he had done so intentionally.

Grinning widely at his mental Hogwarts representation, Harry looked around. More flowers were starting to grow in the grassy fields of his mindscape, and for a few fleeting minutes he thought he felt a breeze of wind rustle his hair. He looked up, at the almost-impossibly clear-blue skies and the big yellow sun, and smiled as he closed his eyes, content to be here, in his safe point in his mind, his mindscape.

Somehow, he got out of the meditational trance at exactly five minutes to eleven, and Harry sat himself down by the window and stared outside, waiting for his headmaster to arrive. He had written to the man that he would be glad to help out after all.

At exactly eleven, he saw a tall figure dressed in a long cloak walked up the garden path, and Harry felt his heart jump. Quickly and quietly, as old habits died hard, Harry made his way downstairs, opening the door before his headmaster had a chance to ring the door bell.

"What is going on?" Uncle Vernon demanded.

"I have a meeting with my Headmaster, Uncle," Harry replied calmly and respectfully. "As, at this hour, all decent people are inside, I thought it was safer to meet so late, rather than have him come by in broad daylight."

Vernon gasped like a fish out of water, his mouth working open and closed multiple times, before he turned and looked at Petunia, who had come out of the kitchen, obviously in the middle of a late-night scrub-down of her kitchen. She had heard Harry's statement as well, it seemed, as she stared back at her husband with an equally shocked expression, neither knowing quite what to say or how to respond.

"I knew you'd appreciate my thoughts," Harry said, a small smirk on his lips. "Headmaster, can we have this conversation in my room?"

For a moment, it looked as if the Headmaster wanted to talk to the Dursleys, but Harry interrupted him. "Headmaster, my relatives and I have worked out our differences," he said, smiling. "Part of the deal was that I keep the wizarding world away from them. Please, join me in my room?"

Professor Dumbledore nodded, and followed Harry up the stairs and into his room.

As the old wizard sat down in the only chair the room had to offer, and Harry sat down on his bed, he noticed that Dumbledore's wand-hand was blackened and shriveled, almost as if the flesh had been eaten away from it. "Sir… your hand…"

"Later, Harry," Dumbledore said, smiling gently. "A situation has arisen that required your help. You see… Sirius' will was discovered a week ago, and he has left you everything he owned."

Harry just stared at the man, the wound of his godfather's death tearing open anew. He could not say anything, and just sat there, looking at the headmaster, sighing deeply against the pain in his heart.

"For the most part, this is straightforward," Dumbledore went on after a few seconds. "You add a sizeable sum of gold to your vault at Gringott's, and you inherit all of Sirius' personal possessions. The most problematic of your legacy is that you were also left, Number Twelve, Grimmault Place."

Harry sighed again. "You can keep it… keep using it as headquarters," Harry whispered, unable to deal with this right now. The pain was still too fresh, he didn't know how he felt, let alone that he would know how to deal with owning a house and everything else that went along with that.

"That is very generous of you, Harry," Dumbledore said, gently. "However, there might be an added complication. You see, Black family tradition decreed that the house is passed down the direct male line, in which case it would rightfully go to you. However, there is also the possibility that the house has been put under an enchantment that would only allow it to come into the possession of a pureblood wizard or witch. In that case, it would go to the only pureblood member of the Black family… Bellatrix Lestrange."

Harry's right fist clenched as he struggled to remain sitting. His lips curled back, displaying a set of perfectly pearly white teeth. The very thought of the house going to his Godfather's killer made his stomach crawl and his intestines burn. Dumbledore remained silent, for a moment taking a good look at Harry, the normally present merry twinkle in his eyes was conspicuous in its absence.

"No," Harry growled. The window rattled, and for a moment, Dumbledore thought he could feel a tremor pass through the floor beneath his feet. However, if it wasn't his imagination, it was so weak and gone so quickly that he easily dismissed it.

"Obviously, we don't want her to inherit it, either," Dumbledore resumed after a moment, and the window had stopped rattling. "Fortunately, there is a very simple test." He waved his wand, the shriveled hand apparently still able to hold and use a wand quite agilely. With a sharp **crack**, a house-elf appeared.

The ugly little creature, with a snout-like nose, giant bat-like ears, and dressed in filthy rags. "If you inherited the house, you also inherited Kreacher," Dumbledore explained as the house-elf started shrieking.

"Kreacher won't!" the house-elf cried. "Kreacher is looking forward to serving miss Bellastrix! Kreacher won't go to the Potter boy!"

Harry's nerves were at an end. "Krecher, shut up!" he snarled, not wanting the ugly and filthy little demon to ruin his deal with his relatives. Kreacher's surprise got rid of Harry's anger in under a second, as the little creature gasped, grabbed for his throat, and was unable to utter a further sound.

"Well," Dumbledore said, the twinkle in his eyes back to full force, "It seems you have indeed inherited Kreacher."

Harry thought for a few seconds on keeping the house-elf with him. As handy as having a house-elf would be, he just didn't want to risk Kreacher. But… what to do with him? A grin suddenly came to his face. He found that ideas came to him faster now, since learning to shield his mind, and cataloging his emotions and memories behind the barriers he had erected under Ken's supervision.

"Headmaster, can I leave Kreacher in the kitchens at Hogwarts? That way, the other house-elves can keep an eye on him."

The headmaster nodded, obviously thinking it a great idea, although he looked a little shocked at the fact that Harry thought of it by himself. Harry turned to Kreacher. "Kreacher, I want you to go _directly_ to the kitchens at Hogwarts, and work there with the other house-elves."

Kreacher just snarled silently, before disappearing with a loud crack.

"And now, let us pursue that flighty temptress, adventure," Dumbledore said, holding out his hand. Harry was still too numb about Sirius to seriously think about what he and the headmaster were doing. He had agreed to help the headmaster out in any way he could, and he would do so, but the re-opened wound of Sirius' death still plagued him.

Without question, he took the headmaster's left hand, the one that had not been hurt, and listened to the old man's suggestion that he hung on tight. The next moment, Harry went through his first side-along apparition.

They appeared in a small town, and Harry's curiosity beat out his depression for just a little while. Apparently, Dumbledore needed help to convince a new teacher for the school, and Harry was apparently perfect for the job.

Even though he didn't know how or why, Harry somehow managed to talk the Professor, a man called Slughorn, into coming to the school next term. They apparated back to the Dursleys, Dumbledore dropping them straight into Harry's bedroom.

"Now, Harry," the old headmaster said, sitting down in the chair while Harry took to the bed. "Why do you not come to the Burrow?"

Harry sighed, and looked at his Headmaster. "I am working on something, sir," Harry replied. "It is… I don't know how to describe it. It's like learning, only it's not… not like I've learned before." He sighed again, unable to express himself more without telling the old man about Ken and Maya, the training, and everything else.

"Yes, I've been made aware of your trips to the library. Although it pleases me greatly to see you take an interest in books, I must ask…"

"What do I hope to learn from muggle books, Sir?" Harry said, smiling slightly. As the Headmaster nodded, Harry replied to the question he himself had voiced. "Quite a lot, actually. Muggles…" he shook his head. "Non-magicals," he corrected himself, "are looking at things in a different light. That's what I'm doing… I'm looking at things differently. Do things differently from everybody else, and you're bound to learn something new, something interesting."

Dumbledore leant forward, eyes twinkling, clearly interested. "May I ask for an example, Harry?"

Harry closed his eyes, and nodded. "Try Legilimency on me, Sir."

Dumbledore sat back, apparently studying Harry. "To what purpose, Harry?"

"To show you an example, Sir," Harry said, eyes open, smiling slightly.

Finally, Dumbledore nodded, took his wand in his shriveled hand, and Harry shivered at the sight of it. "Legilimens," Dumbledore whispered, and Harry felt something set off every warning sensor he had deployed in his mind. If he had been in his mindscape, Harry was sure that the skies would be black as pitch, the sun obscured, and all his alarms would be ringing.

But he wasn't in his mindscape… and he was still warned. The emotion lasted but for a fraction of a second, but that was all it took for the hardwired sensors to slam into his shields, tightening them instantly. Dumbledore's spell struck the outer barrier of his mental defenses, and was deflected rather easily.

The look on the old man's face was an extremely pleased one. "You have learned Occlumency."

Harry nodded. "But a different way," he said.

"Can you tell me how?"

Harry sighed, then nodded. "It's like a form of meditation. One day, I found a place, deep in my mind. I read up about it, and managed to go from there. Ironically, it's thanks to Snape's constant violations of my mind last term."

"Professor Snape, Harry," Dumbledore corrected him gently. "So, you have learned Occlumency through a muggle discipline called meditation?"

"A non-magical discipline, yes," Harry corrected the Headmaster, secretly enjoying the feeling of being able to do so. "Calling non-magicals 'muggles' is like calling a black man a 'nigger'. Identifying a non-magical man by a separate word is racist. That is probably the reason why Voldemort got all that power… the entire magical community has got to learn to let go of their prejudices."

Dumbledore was silent for a few moments. "It seems you really are starting to look at things differently, Harry."

Harry nodded, thinking back to a book he read that afternoon, dealing with World War II. "During the second World War, there was a non-magical called Hitler. He killed millions, but going after a group of people based on their religion. For him, the Jews were responsible for all evil. Tell me, Professor. What difference is there between a deranged non-magical forcing people to wear yellow stars on their clothes, and the wizarding world that called ninety-nine percent of the global population a degrading term?"

Dumbledore swallowed, and nodded. "Although I can see a certain resemblance, I must point out that we are not in the business of killing muggles."

"Non-magicals, Professor," Harry corrected. "And may I point out that _that_ may change if Voldemort wins? History is written by the victors, Professor. One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. Calling a person a derogatory term basic on magical talent is separatist, racist even, and it is the basis from which deranged lunatics like Voldemort can grow."

Dumbledore sat there, quiet, looking at Harry, staring at him for ten long seconds before finally nodding. "I can see that you have thought about this quite extensively, Harry, and I must concede a certain logic to your reasoning. I must ask you, however, what are you planning on doing with this knowledge?"

Harry grinned. "The Wizarding World should be brought into the 20th century, now that it is almost over. I will find a way to do so… I don't know how yet, but I'm sure I will; but it is a problem for when Voldemort is gone… if I can get rid of him, that is," Harry said, Sirius' death still fresh on his mind. "After that, I must get rid of the soil that grew him, or his evil will never die."

Dumbledore seemed to accept that explanation, and nodded. "Very well, Harry. That sounds like a good plan for the future. I can see that you are quite involved in your new studies… but if I may ask my original question. Why not come to the Burrow? You can study there as well as here, I'm sure." He held up a hand to stop Harry from answering immediately. "I am merely asking this for your friends' sake. They impressed upon me the need to answer this question."

Harry nodded. "Meditation is a difficult discipline, Professor. It involves the withdrawing of the mind from all conscious thoughts, even all feeling of the body. It is the mind detached from the body. It requires hours of training and incredible mental fortitude, and even though I am making great progress, I still require absolute silence. Distractions are… well, let's just say, distracting."

Harry and Dumbledore shared a chuckle. "The Dursleys leave me alone now," Harry went on. "I have good food, a roof over my head, and all the time to be alone. I can focus and concentrate without anyone distracting me, hours a day." He sighed. "I would be horrible company anyway… I barely have time to sleep, let alone enjoy my stay should I come."

Dumbledore nodded, understanding. He stood up, and shook Harry's hand. "I understand, Harry. Nothing remains for me but to wish you good luck with your studies."

"Thank you, Headmaster," Harry said, sincerely. Dumbledore disapparated five seconds later and Harry fell in bed and closed his eyes. Forgetting to take his clothes off, he fell back to his mindscape, and waited for Ken to appear. He just _had_ to tell her about his first test of his mental shields.

"Good evening Harry," Ken greeted her apprentice the moment she and Maya appeared within his mental landscape, about twenty minutes later.

"Hi, Harry," Maya said as greeting, smiling slightly at him.

Smiling back at the two of them, Harry replied, "Good evening to both of you." His grin widened, and he looked at Ken. "Ken-Sensei… so much happened today."

Ken lifted an eyebrow. "I take it that your two days rest was helpful?"

He nodded vigorously. "It was incredible, Ken-Sensei. My Headmaster came by, just as he promised. We talked a while… about… things…" His happiness over the recent events vanished at the thought of Sirius' death. Shaking his head, he banished the thoughts for later. "Anyway, he tested my Occlumency shields. They held him out! I really doubt that he was going full strength, but I kept him out! And just like you said, I was aware that he was trying to get into my mind without me being in the mindscape!"

Ken nodded with a faint trace of a smile visible on her face. "I knew you would succeed, Harry. The amount of mental power you have wouldn't have let you fail."

Harry just continued to grin. "Anyway, we also talked about a lot of other things. One thing was strange, though… he asked me to go with him, and help him convince a new teacher for Hogwarts, that's my school. But, while I was with him, I asked if I could use magic to defend myself. He said that it wouldn't be necessary, but should it be needed, he would let me use any magic I saw fit to defend myself." He drew a deep breath. "Ken-Sensei, is it possible to allow me to practice magic, outside of school, even though I'm not of age yet?"

She remained silent, and looked at him, obviously thinking. "There are ways to disturb magic sensors and magical scanning spells. I know western magic pretty well… I have to, in my business… and I think I know the system your Ministry is using to keep track of underage magic use. They've either placed something on your wand, or they are keeping a tracking charm on your house. Or possibly both."

"Well… I ran into the charms twice. First time was when a house-elf cast a Hover Charm. The second time was when I tried to protect my cousin and me from a Dementor attack not far from our house." He frowned. "You know, they never went after me for blowing up my Aunt Marge using accidental magic."

Ken smiled. "That tells us three things, Harry," the Japanese Master said. "First, they can not detect who does the magic. Second, they can track you outside your home. And three… they can not track use of pure magic, used without a wand. This means that the use of a Seal could go through their scans without too much trouble." She was silent for a few more seconds. "I will start you off with Seals, Harry. From there, we'll progress to the use of other forms of magic, as well as the study of the sword. Finally, we'll end up with the higher-end skills… demon magic, and manipulation of the elements."

Harry just nodded, glad to be able to start learning for real now, rather than just accepting knowledge into the back of his mind, where it lay dormant until needed. And although it had come in handy with his discussion with the Dursleys and with Dumbledore, Harry was really looking forward to learning some real new magic skills now.

"Start by running around the lake," Ken said, indicating the mental representation of the Great Lake at Hogwarts. He gulped. Maya had a faint smile on her face, but remained quiet.

"Don't smile, my apprentice," Ken told the girl. "Run with him."

Harry just started jogging, Maya right next to him. As they ran, Harry glanced at his companion.

"Do you know why we're doing this? I've never seen Ken-Sensei so serious, so I didn't want to ask…" he asked, letting his question trail off.

Maya nodded. "Everything we do here makes us stronger. If we run here, we train our bodies for endurance. Thing is… it's a lot more intensive, so it will wear you down a lot more. You'll be sick in the morning again. I've been doing stints like this for years now, so I'm used to the drain. Although I don't want to be doing this every day either."

Harry just nodded, accepting the explanation as they made their way around the lake. As they progressed, Harry turned back to the girl. "You know, we didn't have a chance for a conversation like this before. How should I call you? I know that I'm supposed to call you _senpai_, isn't that right?"

Maya snorted. "We're the same age… you calling me senpai doesn't sound right to me," the girl replied levelly.

Harry shrugged. "You've been training longer than I have." He grinned. "Maya-Senpai it is."

The girl just shot him a rueful grin, but didn't reply to the bait. Together, they continued the trek around the lake.

Much to Harry's surprise, he and Maya actually finished one lap. Granted, he felt completely empty afterwards, while Maya was just sweating a little and patting his back as he stood there, panting deeply, completely bent over, hands on his knees. "You did fine for a first-timer, Harry," the girl said, grinning.

Ken nodded, even though Harry's bent-over form couldn't see it. "I agree with Maya. You did well, Harry. Now… let us begin the training."

Harry managed to look up as Ken held out her hand. "Mahou mo Ken the Plasmatizer asks the Seal… what are you?"

Again, Harry felt the magic in her teacher take physical shape, a larger-than-usual seal materializing before filling with Kanji signs. A deep, booming voice resounded through the mindscape.

_I am confusion, and I am cloaking. I am the one who hides magic from prying eyes!_

Magic washed out of her body, the Seal vanishing and spreading throughout the mindscape. Harry didn't feel any different, but he remained silent, waiting for Ken to explain. Somewhere deep inside, he was aware of already knowing this spell, but somehow, it was so difficult to really grasp it, as if it were at the tip of his tongue.

"This is a Hiding Seal," Ken explained. "It will hide your use of magic from detecting charms. It will also allow you to use your wand, but only within the protective bubble it creates. Outside of it, your wand will be traceable."

Harry nodded. "I understand," he said, finding that he actually did understand it. "How big a bubble does it make?" he then asked, aware that he should know this… as well as the answer to his next question. "And can't the Ministry detect my casting this hiding spell? And the bubble it creates can't be hard to find, either..."

Ken nodded. "Good questions. The size of the bubble depends on how big you want it to be, and how much magical energy you have available. If you don't have the reserve, you can will all you want, but it will never happen. As to the charm itself… what use is a magic-hiding Seal if it can be detected as it is cast? It was developed for use by the Plasmatizers while imprisoned or captured. It hides itself completely, even as it is cast. As you cast the spell, you will feel it first hiding itself, then actually start the bubble."

Harry swallowed. "I have heard you use that before while you cast the Seals, but I thought it was part of the incantation. What is a Plasmatizer?"

"A Plasmatizer is what you will be after you learn to master the art of Seal-casting, Harry. You must still invoke the name, even though you are in training, but you can not legitimately call yourself one until you have attained the rank of master."

Harry just nodding, somehow he had already known that, but just recalled that now. He looked at her with a glint in his eyes. "Can you teach me how to cast it now?"

Ken grinned. "That is what I am here for. Now, first, hold out your hand, and reach for the magic within you-"

For the next hour, Harry stood there, silent, eyes closed, his thoughts turning inward rather than outward. He did not hear Ken's voice per se, but his subconscious followed its calmly stated instruction to the letter as his conscious mind burrowed deeper into himself, reaching for something he had never reached for before.

The core of his magic.

Suddenly, he felt something… a whisper of a promise, a may-have-been or a may-not-have-been, something intangible. It was gone as fast as he had found it, and Harry let out a faint grunt without meaning to.

_Feel the magic, and feel it come to you. Don't force it… it is a part of your body, and nothing moves on sheer will. Don't _think _about doing it, just _do _it. _

Harry let out another grunt, and Ken seemed to understand him.

_How do you move your arm? How do you move a foot? How does one walk, and how does one explain it to a person who never knew he _had _legs?_ Ken said to him, her voice not reaching where his conscious mind was at the moment, but still, her sentiments and the meaning behind her words echoed through his heart.

_Feel the magic shape, Harry. Draw the Seal. Don't force it, don't think about it. Just reach out… and do it._

Maya snapped back as Harry's eyes flew open, his right hand suddenly jerking at the end of his moving arm, until the arm and hand were completely outstretched. A blank Seal appeared in between his fingers, three times the size of a playing card. It remained, as of now, unwritten.

"Good work, Harry," Ken said, smiling broadly. Her smile turned to a grin as Harry's head slowly turned to look straight at her, a faint smile on his lips as well, and she said, "Now… let us learn how to make a Seal that actually _does_ something." He grinned back at her, and nodded slowly, before letting his concentration drop. The Seal vanished, and he let out a heartfelt whoop at his success. Maya smiled broadly, and Ken shook her head, smiling broadly as well.

00000

Harry awoke the next morning, feeling sick, weak, and tired. Of course he would feel like this… after last night's intense training session, he felt he had the right to be sick. The things he had learned were nothing short of incredible, and he still felt pride in his accomplishments. It felt so good to have a different kind of teacher, one who obviously cared for her students beyond what she was teaching them. Ken cared enough to praise his accomplishments, she cared enough to take him on, even though he was halfway around the world, and it no doubt placed incredible strain on herself and her student to come to him, each and every night.

He forced himself out of bed, and into the bathroom. Even though he was still sick, he wasn't throwing up anymore. That had been limited to those first couple of days, and even though he felt worse now than he had felt then, his body had at least learned to cope without that humiliation added to the experience.

After a long and freezing cold shower, he felt somewhat better, the icy water running the intensity of the night down the drain. He made his way downstairs, knowing it was too late to join breakfast, Uncle Vernon and Dudley no doubt already gone for the day.

Leaving just Aunt Petunia. He made his way into the kitchen, where she was busy with her mid-morning wipe-down of all the kitchen surfaces, and glanced around. Shrugging, he decided to see just how solid their deal was, and he made his way to the refrigerator. Slowly drawing it open, he stole a glance at her. She had obviously stiffened, and was now sweeping, rather than wiping, her cloth across the surfaces of her immaculate kitchen.

Taking enough food to feed an army, and sitting down at the pristine table, he began to eat. Aware that she was watching him, Harry forced himself to remain silent and quiet, just eating his meal, forcing energy into the body that had been forced to learn so much during the midnight training session.

Half an hour later, he washed his dishes, Aunt Petunia still staring at him. This time, her stare was one of pure shock, rather than unadulterated loathing, as she had stood there and watched Harry polish off the food he had taken from the fridge.

"Why?" she finally asked, her voice oddly neutral, as if she were afraid to insult him and make her nice bonus vanish. Harry had warned them all… do not honor the deal and the money would vanish.

"I was hungry?" he replied with a question.

She scowled at him. "You looked sick."

He shrugged. "I'm keeping my freak business away from you," he replied casually. "And now you're asking me about it?"

She scowled deeper at him, then turned and walked away, no doubt in search of something else to clean, leaving Harry to go back to his room in silence.

He shut the door, and resisted the urge to throw a sealing charm at it. Sitting down in the somewhat-exact center of his room with his legs crossed, Harry closed his eyes, and reached for the Seal. Heeding his summons, a blank piece of magical paper appeared in between his fingers of his outstretched hand. This alone did not constitute magic. It was the start of a spell, but it was the results that would be monitored by the Ministry, not the magic itself.

It would be impossible to see the difference between his own magic and the little spike the Seal would represent. Slowly, his lips formed words as his breathed gave them life. "Harry Potter, Plasmatizer, asks the Seal… what are you?"

Deep inside himself, he visualized the spell in the way Ken had taught him. To his surprise, the house at Privet Drive came rather easily to his mind. He focused on the upper floor, and it came to him with startling clarity. Imagining the dome of the spell, he anchored it firmly around the outer edges of his room, so that his entire room was covered by it, and none of his spells could accidentally trigger the detection charms of the Ministry… as long as he stayed within his room.

The words of the Seal boomed through Harry even louder than they were in real life. _I am confusion, and I am cloaking. I am the one who hides magic from prying eyes!_

The dome took shape, exactly the way he had envisioned it, and Harry grinned, giddy with his first success at Seal Magic. The very fact that no owl came to inform him of his breach confirmed that his spell had worked. Just to be cautious, Harry stared at the window, waiting for fifteen of the longest minutes of his life, he waited for an owl that did not come. Finally, he whooped with success, yet he calmed down quickly to make sure he did not needlessly annoy Aunt Petunia.

Grinning madly, he materialized a new Seal. It was blank, and he placed it against one wall. He drew a second, and placed it against the second wall. Slowly, he did the same with the remaining two walls. He closed his eyes, and envisioned the spell.

"Harry Potter, Plasmatizer, asks the Seals… what are you?"

Four voice boomed through Harry and through the air, in perfect synchronicity. _We are folding, and we are Dimension. We make large what is small, and we make small what is large!_

Harry's grin grew as his room expanded, magically enlarging until it was the size of a large Hogwarts classroom, providing him with ample space to perfect his spells. His grin threatened to split his face at his success.

The doorbell ringing shook Harry out of his post-success rush, and he slowly opened his door to listen in, trying to figure out who would be ringing the doorbell at this hour. As Aunt Petunia opened, and Harry heard the voices drift up, Harry felt shock coarse through his veins when the newcomers were invited in rather politely.

Harry swallowed the blockage in his throat. _Ron and Hermione._

For just a few seconds, until the feet could be heard on the stairs, Harry stood there, totally in shock, not knowing what to do now. They would see him. They would see his room. His recently expanded room. The would see that he could do magic. He gulped, and the trance broke with a startling speed the moment their feet were halfway up the stairs. Years of listening, of quietly evading the Dursleys had taught him every sound in the house, including the sounds the staircase makes at the beginning, middle, and end.

He reached out, drawing his wand from his pocket, and whispering a concealment charm. He wasn't good enough with the Seals to do it that way, and he could cast magic now anyway. He flung himself on his bed, throwing a worried glance at the walls, now looking as they were, if only he couldn't feel the magic crackling in the air, his Concealment Charm battling the magic from the Expansion Seals, each one trying to overcome the other.

The door was pushed open rather roughly, and Harry 'distractedly' glanced up from the meditation book he had grabbed from his nightstand. For just a few seconds, the trio stared at each other, Harry smirking to himself, knowing it was only a matter of time before Ron and Hermione showed up. Their timing could have been better, however.

Ron and Hermione stared at Harry, unable to believe that they had just been let in by Harry's aunt, and that he was looking rather well, on his bed, reading a book, looking, for all intents and purposes, surprised at seeing them.

"Hey guys!" Harry greeted them, forcing cheerfulness into his voice.

Before he knew what had happened, Hermione had jumped him, her arms engulfing him in a hug. He wasn't really paying attention to everything she was blubbering into his shirt, even though he caught plenty of 'worried' and 'Dursleys' and 'hurt you' exclamations in there. He held out his free hand to Ron, still grinning. "Hey Ron," Harry greeted his friend again, silently taking him in. It was obvious that Hermione had gotten to Ron before they made their way over here.

He was wearing non-magical clothing, for one. A pair of jeans, a pair of Nikes, and a black t-shirt. It all looked rather good on him, even though it was painfully obvious that Ron himself was far from comfortable.

"Hey, mate," Ron said, clasping the hand tightly, an indication of his own worry.

"Sorry I couldn't come," Harry said, feeling lame for saying so. He sighed, and stared at his book. "I told Professor Dumbledore yesterday… I'm learning other things. New things. Oh, and I struck a deal with the Dursleys." He looked at his friends, Ron having claimed his one chair and Hermione sitting at the edge of his bed. He sat up and pulling his legs under him in a perfectly cross-legged position without thinking about it. "Now that they're leaving me alone, and I have all the food I need, this place isn't so bad."

Ron looked hurt. And now that Harry thought about it, so did Hermione. "Guys," he said, looking at them, staring into their eyes. "This is not about you. This is about me. About what I have to do." His voice broke. The things he had learned… those awful things he had learned. His fist clenched. "People close to me get hurt," he whispered in the deathly silence of his room. "I can't… can't let it happen again. I… I have to learn," he swallowed against the tears. Now that he was voicing his deepest thoughts out loud, he was surprised by the intensity of them, the raw emotional impact they had on his healing psyche.

"Harry!" Hermione shouted. Harry shook his head.

"No, Hermione. I only get people hurt. People close to me get hurt, they die, and there was never anything I can do about it. And now… now I have an opportunity. I'm learning. I'm learning new things about myself every day… and I'm never going to let anyone close to me get hurt ever again."

Both Ron and Hermione sat there, looking at Harry in what could only be described as a state of shock. Harry looked up from wherever dark thoughts were, and looked from one to the other. "And for me to learn… especially this… I need total peace and quiet. It involves meditation."

"Medi-whation?" Ron asked. "Does it have something to do with medicine? Like being a medi-wizard?"

"Meditation," Harry corrected his friend gently, shaking his head. "And it's got nothing to do with being a medi-wizard," he finished, looking at Hermione. She was staring at him in thoughtful contemplation. Harry looked back at Ron, and explained. "Meditation involves clearing the mind of all thoughts, of all emotions, and letting go of your surroundings. Basically, it detaches your spirit from your body. A deep enough meditation trance allows for the body to be put under extreme duress without you being aware of it."

"Even the…"

"Nobody's ever tried," Harry said. "Wizards and witches are incredibly superstitious of non-magical techniques. Nobody ever tried a Cruciatous Curse on a meditating person."

Ron seemed to accept that. "And for you to do that…"

"I need total peace, quiet, and solitude," Harry said with a nod. He swallowed, and looked back at his book. "You know I love you and your family, right?" he finally asked.

Ron nodded against the tightness in his chest, unable to speak. It was the first time that Harry said it so openly, and it felt strange to Ron to see how much it meant to him.

Harry looked up again, pulling his thoughts together again. "And you know that I would never do anything to hurt you guys, right?"

Ron nodded again.

"Then I know how hard it would be on everyone if I came, and just locked myself in my room, having it put under so many Silencing Charms that a herd of elephants could pass by outside and I wouldn't hear it, and only come out to eat. It would drive you guys batty."

Ron opened his mouth, starting to protest, then closed his mouth, and just nodded. "I think you're right. Mom would never let you stay in your room for hours on end."

Harry threw a worried look at the walls when an especially loud magical crackle resounded through his mind. Hermione frowned. "Why do you keep looking at the walls?"

Harry cursed inwardly. He had been looking more than he was consciously aware of. He sighed. "Can you guys keep a secret?" he asked.

Ron and Hermione looked angrily at him. "Do you have to ask?" Hermione asked, angrily, before Ron could.

Harry sighed, and shook his head. "This isn't about sneaking out after dark, guys. Can you guys keep a secret, from Dumbledore, from your family, from everybody but yourselves and me?" he asked, looking at Ron when he said the part about family. His two friends looked at each other with worried glances in their eyes, and nodded.

Harry sighed. "So be it," he whispered, and finally relaxed his hold on the Concealment Charms. As the room exploded to the size instilled into it by the Expansion Seals, Ron and Hermione's mouths fell open.

"I learned ways to get around the Ministry of Magic's underage magic detectors, and this is where I train to do magic. Different magic," he explained. "Thanks to Snape blasting my mind open last years while trying to teach me Occlumency, I have been able to access something that will allow me to learn a different kind of magic."

"This… this isn't regular Charm work," Hermione said, running her hand across the wall. "In fact, I'm not sure this is a Charm at all."

Harry grinned. "It's not." He held up his hand, and materialized a Seal. "It's a Seal spell."

"Bloody…" Ron started to curse, but too shocked to finish it.

"Now you know why I ask you about secrets," Harry said, looking from Ron to Hermione. "What I am learning is radically different, and it's just the thing I need to keep everyone safe."

Hermione sat down on the bed again, and put a hand on his shoulder. That single motion felt more comforting to Harry than that exuberant hug had felt earlier. "Harry, after everything we've been through. How can you even think that we won't be there with you in the future?"

"Yeah mate," Ron piped in. "You're not getting rid of us that easily."

"But… the danger…" Harry whispered, desperately trying to get them to see.

"We're your friends, Harry. We will be there with you. Until the end." Hermione swallowed, and he could see tears in her eyes.

Ron too, was subdued. "We'll get You-Know-Who," he said, trying to keep the quiver out of his voice and succeeding for the most part. "And we'll get him together."

"But-" Harry's voice was cut off as Hermione put a finger against his lips.

"Say 'thank you', Harry."

His mouth twisted into a smile, and his eyes twinkled at her in a way that reminded her oddly of their Headmaster. "Thank you, Harry," he said with a wide grin. Hermione and Ron shook their heads, smiling in amusement as well, and the tension broke.

"So, mate, where did you learn all this? It can't all be that medita-whation," he said, still falling over the word.

"Oh, but it is, Ron," Harry said, smiling at his friend's difficulty with everything non-magical. "This is all meditation." He looked at his two friends, realizing that they would, indeed, follow him to the ends of the Earth and beyond… and if he pushed them away now, they would come after him. At least, if they were _with_ him, he might have a shot at protecting them. "The first thing it taught me was how to shield my mind. I think you guys will need to learn that as well… I don't want anyone to just read your mind and find out I'm doing some highly illegal underage magic here."

He chuckled at the fact that the magic he did was perfectly legal, and that it was the fact that he was underage that made it illegal.

Hermione nodded. "I'm sure we can find a couple of books in the library at the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix," she said, already looking determined. Ron let out a groan.

Harry looked introspective, understanding dawning upon him that they would be hard-pressed to do this by themselves, without anyone there to help them. Ken had helped him, and he knew how invaluable help could be. "Who do we know that knows Occlumency?" Harry asked, focusing on his friends once more.

"Professor Dumbledore and Snape," Hermione said.

Ron shook his head. "If we want to keep this a secret, we can't ask _them_," he said, his voice laced with venom over the treatment Snape had given Harry last year. Harry nodded emphatically.

"Anybody else?" Harry asked, sounding hopeful they might find somebody who could train them in Occlumency… someone trustworthy.

Ron's face suddenly lit up. "I can ask Fred and George. For some reason, they managed to keep their pranks secret. I think they know Occlumency… otherwise, I'm sure Dumbledore would have gotten it out of them."

Harry nodded. "I think so too, Ron," he replied. "And I trust Fred and George." He sighed, feeling fatigue overwhelm him. His nightly training session was catching up to him, and emotionally draining conversations with his friends was not the best way to recuperate.

Hermione grunted under her breath before speaking up. "I'm sure they'll be delighted to help us… any chance to break some rules, and they'll jump at it."

Ron nodded at Hermione's assessment of his brothers. "They'll be so very proud of you, Harry," he said with a grin. "Breaking dozens of Ministry rules is a good thing in their book."

Harry chuckled, stifling another yawn, feeling his night catch up to him now that the excitement of the conversation fell away from him. Hermione caught on.

"I'm dying to know what else you're learning, and how you're learning it," she spoke calmly, looking into his eyes. "But you look exhausted, Harry. I'm relieved you're alright, and I'm sure Ron is, too, so we can have the rest of this conversation at some other time."

Harry nodded gratefully. "That sounds great. Thanks… and thanks for checking up on me. I'm glad to see-" he trailed off, staring at his blankets, not really knowing how to voice his thoughts. Ron and Hermione frowned and looked at each other.

"You're glad to see… what?" Ron asked, gently.

Harry swallowed. "I'm glad to see you care enough to come here," he whispered. Hermione broke out a smile, and hugged him.

"Of course we do, silly boy," she admonished as she hugged him. After she released him, Harry clasped Ron's hand, whose eyes mimicked Hermione's sentiments exactly, even though the boy was unable to voice them out loud.

"Before we go, just one thing," Ron said, smiling madly as he fell down on the bed next to Hermione and Harry. After Harry nodded, the redhead went on. "How did you get the Dursley's off your case?"

Now it was Harry's turn to smile widely. "I paid them off. Locked them in a binding magical contract even though neither them nor I knew what it was at the time. I pay them enough to make it really worth their while to keep me around for two months, and treat me well… and I promised I would keep my magic contained to these four walls, so the neighbors wouldn't notice anything." He laughed out loud. "I even offered to play up the role of the juvenile delinquent they keep going on about to everyone they know."

Ron and Hermione stared at him, neither speaking.

Harry's chuckles finally died off, and he resumed. "Anyway, I made it worth their while, they're leaving me alone, and I keep away from the neighbors. It works out for everyone involved… and they _will_ keep their end of the deal, or the money they have gotten will disappear."

Ron broke out a loud laugh, while Hermione just chuckled, the last of their fears of the Dursleys double-crossing Harry melted away. A few minutes later, Harry was deep asleep, after seeing his friends to the door and scheduling the 'rest of their conversation' for tomorrow.

He slept deeply and soundly for a couple of hours, then went downstairs in time for dinner. As he ate, in total silence, he was very well aware of the Dursleys watching his ravenous appetite. Now that he could get all the food he wanted, he could feel his body gaining strength rapidly, the training in the depths of the night showing through.

After eating a meal that rivaled the one consumed by his extremely large cousin, Dudley, Harry retreated to his sanctuary and fell asleep once more. His deep sleep lasted until the depths of midnight, when he materialized in his mindscape, joined five minutes later by Ken and Maya.

Harry told them what had happened that day, his first successful casting of Seal Magic, the hiding spell's success, and the fact that his two best friends had dropped by.

"What can I tell them, Ken-Sensei?" Harry asked after he finally finished his story.

Ken was silent for a few moments, obviously deep in thought. "It would be best not to explain to your friends who I am," Ken said, calmly. "It would throw up too many questions you can't answer, and I would rather keep my existence a secret. I am sure you can understand why."

Harry nodded; he could indeed understand why. Ken's profession as the Emperor of Japan's Chief Bodyguard was not something one wanted blabbed to the world. "What I would suggest," ken went on, "is that you say to your friends that you have a new teacher, one who contacts you through direct mental contact. You need not say that I am from Japan, or even that you know my identity. Just try and explain that you trust me… if need be, tell them that the first thing I did was teach your mind to defend itself, even from myself. After all, I now require you to allow me and Maya entrance."

Harry nodded; it sure sounded like an explanation that Ron and Hermione might accept. "As to the difference of the magic that I am teaching you… just say that I am an unorthodox teacher, and that these are Japanese spells. Remember, the best lies are those that are based in truth."

Harry chuckled, and nodded. "That's true… you certainly are an unconventional teacher, Ken-Sensei."

Ken smiled, and dipped her head. "I will take that as the compliment I am sure it was intended as," she stated, and Harry's chuckles increased, and even Maya chuckled.

"Now, why don't you two run around the lake a couple of times?" Ken suggested, causing both teens to stop chuckling.

"Tw-twice?" Harry choked.

Ken nodded. "We need to build up the strength and the endurance of your body, and we need to do it quickly, so that we can get on with the physical aspect of the training. After you're done with the lake, we'll resume our lessons on the Seals."

Harry just nodded, and started off at a jogging pace, Maya right next to him, starting lap one around the lake.

After they finished their long run, Harry stumbled, and rolled over on his back, panting deeply to ease the burning in his legs. The run had started out better than it had yesterday, his body obviously starting to adapt, even after only one run, but the doubling of the length had been just a tad too much.

Ken appeared above him, looking down at him as he lay there, panting.

"Get up, Harry," she said gently. "You need to walk it off, or it'll hurt."

Harry just nodded dumbly, and somehow managed to wrestle himself to his legs. "Just walk with me," his teacher said, setting a very slow pace towards Hogwarts Castle. Harry, mind numb, just followed her. Maya was panting as well, but she wasn't nearly as exhausted as Harry was, and just walked along on the other side of the Japanese woman.

"Good," Ken said about ten minutes later, when Harry's breathing had finally equalized. "Now, let's start you off with a light martial arts exercise. It'll help the elasticity of your muscles as well, and then we'll get back to the Seals, okay?"

Harry just nodded. Anything Ken wanted to teach him was okay with him, and he could already feel the changes his body was going through were a good thing for his magic as well.

The 'light martial arts exercise' Ken had him going through wasn't too impressive physically, and Harry had to admit that he had grossly underestimated it from when Ken and Maya showed it to him. It looked a little like dancing, only without a partner, and a lot slower. Tai Chi, Ken had called it, and Harry thought that it looked a lot like making motions with your hands and striking poses with your feet. Nothing too impressive, or exhausting.

"Feel the motions," Ken told him. "Become part of the motions, and let the motions become part of you. Breathe slowly and evenly, in sync with the motions of your body."

Harry had tried, and followed his teacher and fellow student in the first Tai Chi exercise of his life. The moment he started it, and drew his breath the way he saw Ken and Maya do, he felt something odd flash through him.

_Become part of the motions, and let the motions become part of you,_ Ken's voice drilled through his mind. He followed the exercise the way Ken and Maya had demonstrated, carefully following them as they exercised next to him.

His joints popped at the unfamiliar range of motion, his muscles protesting the slow and exaggerated movements. And through it all, he could feel energy coursing through his body, out from the lungs through his body when he breathed in, and out from his muscles to his lungs when he breathed out. It was an incredible feeling, and sweat was pouring down his face in small rivulets, even more than when he had been running.

"Wow," Harry muttered, the only thing he could still do as his hands rested on his legs, right above his knees, trying to steady the numb feeling in them. "Incredible."

Ken smiled proudly. "You did very well for your first time, Harry."

Harry slowly straightened out. "It was incredible, Ken-sensei. I could feel energy flowing through me. The moment we started…" he sighed and shrugged, failing to explain properly. "I could feel my breath going in, and going through my body. And I could feel my breath going out, all through my body."

Her eyes were ablaze, and Maya stared at him in shock. "Already?" Ken asked.

Harry nodded, somewhat apprehensively, not really understanding the look on his teacher's face. Finally, a broad smile broke out. "You, Harry Potter, are an incredible student. Obviously, your mind has learned to tap into the store of knowledge I have given you, and handed you the tools and abilities you needed to fulfill this exercise to its full extent."

"Ah," Harry muttered, only half-way understanding that it was indeed a good thing that had happened. He slowly started to smile.

"It took Maya nearly three months before she got the breathing part of the exercise down," Ken explained her apprentice's shock. Maybe shot Ken a rueful grin, then turned to Harry.

"I don't know how you managed it, but you sure are a fast learner," Maya said to him, smiling slightly. "Although now I'm starting to get jealous at how easy these things come for you."

Ken turned to Maya. "Don't be, my apprentice," she said. "The only reason Harry is learning at this pace is because I was forced to imprint knowledge upon his subconscious. And he survived with his sanity intact, somehow," she added the last part. "He is forced to learn at this pace, because he is too old to start learning in the usual way, and because his life is in mortal peril. Almost all other people would have either been driven insane, or would have died. It was a horrible risk I took… and I thank the Gods that it played out correctly."

"You gambled with my life?" Harry asked, not knowing whether he should feel proud because he survived, or appalled at the risk involved.

"I asked you, and you agreed," Ken returned with a slight smile. "It was you who did not understand the risks."

Harry sighed, shrugged, and nodded. "I guess. Anyway, I'm just glad it's turned out the way it did."

Ken nodded, smiling, and turned back to Maya. "You should not feel jealous, Maya. Your abilities still out pace Harry's, and they will for a good while to come. Even though he can learn techniques, and master abilities, quicker than you can… you have years of experience that he doesn't have. You have strength and endurance he doesn't have. It is the small things that matter most, Maya. Harry has raw power and ability. You are refined, know subtle techniques, and are able to do things that he can not, and will not be able to do for a good time to come."

Maya nodded, smiling again, now that she knew that her years of hardship would not be overcome so quickly.

Ken turned back to Harry. "Anyway, this success had earned another reward." Their teacher materialized a staff, and pointed it at the Whomping Willow. "This is called a finishing technique. Where the Kuzuryusen, for example, breaks down shields and protections, a finishing move is designed with a single, simple purpose in mind: destruction. Where any other technique has multiple applications, such as doubling for a cutting spell, a finishing move exists solely for the purpose of annihilation, and destruction. Be very careful with these."

Harry just nodded, his mouth opening slightly at her explanation, his eyes wide with shock. Ken drew a breath, and her brown eyes _burned_ with energy. The tip of her staff glowed a strange, pale, blue-green as she whispered.

"_Rasengan."_

Magic imploded from the surrounding air at the tip of her staff, forming a sphere of incredible power and density, one Harry could feel the energy of, even at his distance. It took precious seconds to form, apparently, as the sphere remained at the tip of the staff, taking in a second magical implosion, making it grow. Harry studied it; noting the unusual way the magic worked through the sphere. It was almost as if magic was contained within an invisible sphere in some way.

As the sphere took a third implosion, and the spell obviously reached its full state, Harry could see that it was _not_ an invisible sphere. Instead, the magic was twirling over and through itself, running in perfectly spherical circles, forming a sphere in and of itself, an incredible amount of magical energy twisting in on itself, a self-contained sphere.

The spell was launched from the tip of Ken's staff, exploding towards the Whomping Willow, once more taking out the ground it flew over, detonating against the tree as it hit, wrestling its roots from the ground, the entire tree spiraling while the magical energy reduced it to shreds.

Harry stared in shock as he witness the Whomping Willow be reduced to nothing more than a pile of wood-shavings. Finally, he shook his head and looked at Ken.

"Is this like that lightning bolt?"

Ken shook her head. "That was manipulation of the elements," his teacher explained. "It is a lot more draining, but elemental manipulation has the advantage that it can not be blocked. It takes a longer time than even a finishing move, drains more of your strength, but the results are stronger for it as well. However, where a finishing move is still firmly cataloged as magic, elemental manipulation is in a category of its own. Not everyone has the aptitude to learn it."

Harry nodded, understanding.

"Now," Ken said, smiling slightly. "Let's get back to the Seals. Seals magic, like all Japanese magic, has its foundation in the elements." Seeing his look, she added with a smile, "yes, the same elements as in elemental manipulation. Those elements are Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Heaven. Now, the elements each have their own basic intricacies, and go way beyond their pure physical manifestations."

"For instance, Earth is also the element of bones and muscles within your body. They can be influenced by Earth Manipulation. When the Earth element takes over your thinking, you are aware of your physical limits, and you are sure of action."

"Water is the element of the plants, the rivers and the formless fluids. Blood and other bodily fluids are Water element, and the Water element makes people experience emotion. It is also linked with defensiveness, adaptability, flexibility, suppleness, and magnetism."

Harry nodded, accepting the information, and knowing instinctively that he would remember it.

"Fire is the element of the moving things in the world. Animals, and especially predators, are Fire. Beings that are capable of movement and are filled with forceful energy are primary examples. The metabolism and your body heat are in the Fire Element, and it is linked intimately with drive and passion. If the Fire Element dominates your thinking, you are filled with motivation and desire, full of intention."

"Wind represents things that grow, and expand. Wind can be best represented by when we think of the Human Mind. We learn and expand mentally, and that is precisely what the Wind element does. Internally, Wind represents breath and everything to do with respiration, including the lungs. When Wind dominates your thinking, you have an open-minded attitude and feel extremely carefree. It is associated with will, elusiveness, evasiveness, and the likes of benevolence, compassion, wisdom, and electricity."

Ken swallowed. "And now we come to the most important element. The Element of Heaven, usually referred to as the Void, represents things beyond everyday experience, especially things comprised out of pure energy. Component particles and atomic forces also fall under this category, as are people who fall into a higher state of consciousness. The Void element represent your spine, your thoughts, and your creative energy. When Void element dominates your thinking, it boosts creativity, spontaneity, inventiveness. It is also linked with nuclear reactions."

"Void is also of particular importance, as it is the highest of the elements. Properly attuning you to the Void element will allow you to sense your surroundings, and act without thinking, all of it without using your physical senses."

Harry grinned. "Void is Magic, then?"

Ken shook her head. "Magic is in everything, Harry. But Void allows you to _use_ magic in different ways, it allows you to sense your surroundings when you're cut off from your senses, and it allows you to reach deep within yourself and draw upon strengths you did not know you had."

Harry nodded in understanding. "So… the concealment Seal I cast is part of the Wind Element?"

Ken smiled. "It is part of Wind, and part of Water. Evade the magic detectors, in a defensive setting."

"I understand," Harry whispered, frowning as he thought things over. Suddenly everything was becoming clear, how every spell he had he cast could fall under these elements… or combinations of these elements. "So, the expansion Seal would be Earth and Water? Being aware of physical limits, and flexibility?"

Ken nodded. "Indeed. Now, let me show you have you can make different Seals, based solely on the elements you require."

Harry nodded, and settled in for the rest of his lesson, practically giddy with excitement on what was to come for him.

00000

The next morning, Harry woke up feeling even sicker than he had felt before. The new abilities Ken had unlocked within him were taking their toll, and the physical training he was going through was draining his body's ability to recuperate. He pulled himself out of bed, and stumbled to the shower.

Ice cold water woke him up some, and Harry stumbled downstairs, to get food. He needed food, he knew, even though he didn't feel hungry in the slightest. As soon as he sat down with a simple breakfast consisting out of milk and cereal, his attitude towards food changed.

The moment his first spoonful hit his empty stomach, his entire body seemed to scream out for energy, and in less than no time Harry's bowl was empty. As that first bolt of sugar-coated cereal energy hit his starving body, he felt himself get better. Forcing himself to keep a normal pace, Harry finished the rest of the cereal box, eating the last quarter of it without milk, as that had vanished as well. After raiding the fridge for enough food to feed an elephant, Harry made his way upstairs again, and fell into bed… and went straight to sleep.

He awoke about four hours later, just in time for the visit from Ron and Hermione. It was not a visit he was looking forward to, but it was one he knew was necessary. Now that his morning binge had completely digested, he was feeling somewhat better. He made his way downstairs, and had a late lunch, relieving his body's need for energy while he waited those last fifteen minutes before Ron and Hermione would arrive.

When his friends finally got there, they found Harry in his room once more, reading the meditation book while absentmindedly munching on an apple.

"Hey guys!" he greeted them jovially, smiling as they looked unsurely at his expanded room.

"Hey mate," Ron said, slipping into the chair and grinning as Hermione sat down on the edge of Harry's bed, much to the amusement of Harry.

"Hey Harry," Hermione said in turn, after she had sat down. Harry pulled himself upright, closed the book and put it on his nightstand. Taking one last bite, he finished the apple, and flung the core into the wastebasket with a practiced ease. He dug a new apple out of the fruit bowl on the other side of his bed.

"Sorry guys, but I'm a little hungry," Harry apologized in between bites. "Rough night."

Hermione frowned at him. "So, Harry… where are you learning these things?" she asked, her arms motioning to the expanded room.

Harry sighed, and nodded, aiming the apple core into the wastebasket. His hand reached out, and he pulled out a banana. Deftly, he peeled it while formulating his response. "This will never leave this room, right?"

Ron and Hermione nodded. "I found a book on Occlumency in the library at Headquarters," Hermione replied. "Ron and I will get right on it. Won't we, Ron?"

Ron agreed, although his response was less than enthusiastic. Harry dipped his head once, accepting that this was as good as he would get. "I see." He drew a deep breath. "Remember when I said this was all thanks to Snape blasting my mind open?" As they nodded, he went on. "Well, thanks to that, I had no defenses in my mind whatsoever. Anyone could just come in, and do whatever they wanted, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Anyway, one night, I was having a nightmare… and I screamed for help."

He drew a shaking breath, staring at his hands. "It didn't matter who. I just wanted someone to help me. And someone did. This person pulled me away from the nightmare, and showed me my mind. She taught me how to protect myself, and she is teaching me many things." He looked up, and glanced at both his friends. "And before any of you get any ideas, the first thing she taught me was how to protect myself, and that includes from her. She needs my permission to enter my mind now… and that is where I am learning. Basically, this is a direct mental connection, linking our minds, and she teaches me there."

Hermione let out her breath, her question obviously answered.

"So… this teacher of yours is a woman?" Ron asked, grinning.

Harry returned the grin. "Yes, she is, Ron. And no, I am just her student."

Hermione shot a look at Ron, who held up his hands and grinned disarmingly. The bushy-haired girl turned back to Harry. "But the things she's teaching you… I checked up on some things. Discreetly," she added, seeing Harry's frown. "And Seal Magic is an obscure branch of Japanese artillery magic. Only a few practitioners are left in the world. The Plasmatizers, or Seal-casters, were mostly wiped out during World War 2."

Harry nodded. "I know. But my teacher is unorthodox. She explained that the Japanese wizards were almost wiped out during World War 2, but she never said where she learned her skills. All I know is that she is now teaching them to me, and that I am not doing too bad, either."

"Well, obviously," Ron said, grinning, looking pointedly at Harry's expanded room.

Harry and Hermione just chuckled, feeling that the last part of the barrier that had somehow appeared between them was finally coming down. The rest of their visit was limited to light-hearted banter and conversation, staying as far away from school, training, or learning as was possible.

As much as he enjoyed their company, Harry felt somewhat relieved when Ron and Hermione finally bid their goodbyes, extracting a promise of same time, same place, next week. The moment his head hit the pillow after raiding the kitchen for dinner, Harry was asleep again.

00000

Harry's training kept progressing at a furious pace, Ken and Maya "coming by" daily for hours on end, teaching him the various subjects Ken had laid out for his training schedule. And even though Harry got two night's rest a week, the pace was hell, and hardly a day passed by where he didn't go either sleepy or hungry, his body's need for energy always present. Ken reassured him… the moment they would let off, after the summer break was over, he would feel better than he had ever felt before.

One night, Harry closed his eyes and let himself fall asleep. He awoke in his mindscape, preparing to do the exercises Ken had left him. This would be his second night without her.

Harry sighed as he started his push-ups before doing his customary five-lap run of the lake. Ken had told him she would be gone for a couple of days, there was a mission coming up for her, and Harry had accepted the training schedule she had left him. He wouldn't learn anything new, but at least he could work on his already existing skills, and train his body. Harry was grinning after his finished his run around the lake.

He was just about to start his Tai Chi exercise when he felt something faintly tapping on his shields.

He frowned, not expecting any company. Letting his sensors through his screens, he identified the visitor rather quickly, and grinned widely as he let the presence it.

The female form that coalesced took precious time to do so. Almost four-and-a-half minutes later, Maya finally stood before him, looking haggard, panting hard and deep.

"Harry," she whispered, falling to her knees. "Ken-sensei…"

Harry was besides her in a flash, clutching her in his arms to keep her from completely falling over. "Maya-senpai? What happened?"

"Ken-sensei," Maya whispered. "She was attacked… during her mission."

Harry felt his blood run cold. "How bad is it?" he managed to ask.

Maya shook her head. "I don't know… all I got was a mental probe… but it was cut off, and now I can't contact her again." She seemed to draw in on herself, and to Harry it felt as if she were shrinking as he held her. "Of course, I couldn't contact her unless she wanted me to… but now I can't find her… and she's hurt." Maya looked up, into Harry's eyes. "I know she's hurt, Harry. I can feel it."

Harry nodded. He understood. "I'll be there," he whispered, letting go of the hug. Maya shook her head.

"It'll take too long, Harry. I just wanted to warn you… it… it might be the last lesson… we had…" Maya's voice was breaking, and it took every bit of Harry's newfound emotional strength to keep himself together.

"I will be there, Maya-senpai. Ken-sensei is the best teacher I've ever had, the first teacher that actually cared more about _me_ than some damn prophecy. It will be a very cold day in hell before I abandon her. I will be there, even if it is just as moral support for you." The girl just stared at him, before nodding.

"Where are you?" he asked, holding up his hand, a globe appearing above it.

Maya motioned for Japan, and the globe zoomed in. She motioned for a mountainous region, and the map zoomed in once more. Finally, she motioned for a single house, a bit apart from the others in the village, surrounded by ample grounds and forests.

"I'll see you in half an hour," Harry grunted, severing the connection before the girl's shocked face could be imprinted upon his memory.

As he startled awake, he grabbed for parchment and quill. First he scratched a message to the Dursleys, letting them know he would be gone for a few days, and that there was no reason they would have to enter his room. A second note was scratched and tied to Hedwig's leg.

It was a simple message for Ron and Hermione.

_Something came up, and I won't be home for a few days. Please don't worry about me._

_Can we schedule our weekly visit for next week? I don't think I'll be home by Saturday._

_I will see you in a week and a half,_

_Love,_

_Harry._

Hedwig set out with the note, and Harry turned around to survey his room. A single hand-motion made his bed slip all the way to the back of the expanded wall. A couple more motions did the same with his desk and chair, as well as the wastebasket and his trunk. The center of his expanded room was now free.

He drew a breath. What he was going to do now was foolish and dangerous, he knew. There was a reason why Apparition was limited in range, and why Portkey travel always instilled forty-five minute calm-down between legs of an international journey.

He looked at the floor of his bedroom, and drew out a piece of chalk. Creating a pentagram, he labeled each corner with the name of one of the five elements. Closing his eyes, he summoned a Seal, keeping his goal firmly in mind.

"Harry Potter, Plasmatizer, asks the Seal… what are you?"

The voice boomed through him, filling him and draining him at the same time, and Harry could feel the power of magic envelop him. _I am movement and I am displacement. I am teleportation!_

Harry's eyes opened, yet they did not see. It was a good thing, too, for if he could see, he would have seen in his reflection in the mirror that his usually vibrant-green eyes were shining blue-white with summoned energy.

Around him, the pentagram lit up, containing the magic he was wielding, keeping it close, a five-pointed shield forming around him as he let the spell reach culmination, the boundary of the shield slipping just a tiny bit, filling his room was unchanneled magic, the air inside stank with the intensity of it.

Finally, Harry screamed when his body was pulled away, across boundaries of the dimensions, towards a destination that he wasn't sure he would make. After a final, heavy clap of thunder, his room was silent, the air stinking with ozone and left-over magical energy, the floor burned with the pentagram and the names of the Elements. And Harry Potter… was gone.

**End of chapter**


	3. Japan

**Mahou** **mo Ken**

All rights to Harry Potter and its world, characters, and settings belong to JK Rowling. I don't own any of its characters, and I am not making any money off this.

**Chapter three – Japan**

The night was dark and oppressive, illuminated solely by the light of the waning moon. Faint shadows were cast, their blurry edges pointing, seemingly indicating the correct path for the man to go. Slowly, he walked, eyes pointed forward, intent and determined, walking towards his goal. He knew where he had to go, and knew where he would end up. This was it, the night his power would rise, and the power of the Imperial Line of Japan would be broken. It was his legacy, his birthright, and he would not allow it to be denied to him.

Finally, he stopped, glancing at a small mound of dirt, upon which a single board of wood was planted upright, in a standard Japanese grave site. Muttering words under his breath, the man pulled a snake from somewhere, the animal limp and unmoving, yet fully alive and aware as the man lifted it, his right arm pointing in the direction of the burial mound.

He drew a breath then, and it was as if nature drew a breath along with him, somehow recognizing what was about to happen. No bird fluttered through the oppressive silence of the night now; no cricket chirped; no wind blew. The scene was surreal; and the man might have enjoyed it more had he not been so focused upon his task.

Holding the snake up, he shifted it to his left hand, his right hand splaying open, summoning his staff to him. With his left hand holding the snake around the head, the man started whispering. "Soul that drifts in the darkness…" He threw the snake at the mound, and felt the spell starting to take hold. The moment the snake touched the mound, light shone from the top of it, splitting the snake open along its length, spilling its blood upon the earth. "Awaken and cross time," he whispered, power building in his body, making the top of his staff glow.

As the ground shook, the mound started to split open. Power was flung from the man to the mound, channeled through his staff as he continued his spell. Golden energy spilled from the split-open grave as the snake's body fell, the spell continuing in all its glory as the man whispered, "By the song that penetrates the Earth," the golden energy glowed white, like a large cloud rising from the grave, waving up before taking shape, waving down like a cloud of substance, too thick to float in the air, a hollow groan coming from a voice beyond the grave.

"Be captured by the dark chains!" The man intoned, power making his shoulder-length black hair wave, the magical energy tugging at his clothes, making his deep-brown eyes shine with energy. More energy spilled from the grave, the earth trembling and shaking as it did so, creating an updraft that took more and more of the thick and viscous clouds out of the grave site. Slowly, the viscous cloud took shape, the spell running its course and materializing the deceased's spirit in front of the man, who could only be a Necromancer.

"Do you not hate?" the man asked the spirit he had summoned.

The spirit practically growled its answer. "I hate. I Hate! I HATE!" Wind blew across the site, tugging at the Necromancer's clothing, and messing up his hair.

"Yes, hate," the Necromancer whispered. He did not need to raise his voice to sound above the cacophony of unnatural sounds. He never needed to raise his voice. The innate ability of his body made so that nobody willingly ignored him. "You were the only one to die in this deserted place… yet the man who did this to you lives in opulence!"

The spirit's eyes burned with blue hate, as it snarled, "I hate that man!" More energy exploded from the spirit, and the wind vanished as the spirit vanished with it. The Necromancer grinning grimly. "Let's see that arrogant bodyguard try and save her Emperor now," the Necromancer said, chuckling softly to himself as he turned around, vanished his staff, and walked slowly back, the exact way he had come.

Half an hour later, he entered the house his ancestors had called home for the last two hundred years, immediately feeling the power of the protections envelop him, filling his reserves to capacity almost instantly, the power he had lost during the ritual already forgotten. He smiled at the feeling, knowing that, as long as he was upon his own ancestral lands, and as long as the reserves of magical energy in his house held out, he need never worry about running out of energy.

He sunk down on the tatami mat of his living room, crossing his legs and closing his eyes, letting his body rest. Generation upon generation of his family line had boosted the shields and protections of this home, and the amount of energy it held, ready for his use, was incredible. He smiled slightly as his mind drifted, comfortable in the knowledge that he was safe, that nobody would dare attack him on his home ground. Nobody would be powerful and stupid enough to try.

Suddenly, a ripple alerted him, and he shot out of his mediation trance in an instance, his body already halfway to its feet before his consciousness had fully returned to it, making for a very dizzying and disorienting experience, but he shook it off. Nobody would _dare_…!

The ripple came again, and this time his hearing was present to hear the accompanying _thump_ on the door, as if some heavy magic was knocking against his shielding in a mocking imitation of knocking on the door.

"Open this door this instant," a female voice growled, the Necromancer momentarily blanching in recognition, before an evil smile settled on his features.

Of course. She was the only one stupid enough to come here, and with enough power to back it up, too. The Necromancer balled his fist, and struck his right arm out, as if hitting at thin air.

The defenses of his house reacted immediately, lashing out at his late-night visitor. The next moment, the ground shook, and light shone through the windows, the Necromancer staring in shock at his front wall, as it literally disintegrated.

"Mahou mo Ken," the Necromancer growled, knowing he did not have the time to call upon his greatest assets, his spirits, ghouls and summons.

"Haruko," Ken replied, coldly, not even honoring his family name. She knew just how important his family was to him, and the insult did not miss its effect. Snarling, his staff reached up, slamming a bolt of energy at her.

"Break," she incanted calmly, her own staff glowing slightly, breaking apart the bolt of energy, dissipating it around her. "Give it up, Haruko," she stated coldly. "You know I am your superior. After sending an Onryou after his Majesty, be glad I did not decide to come here and kill you. Come with me, and I can guarantee a fair trial."

"And then what?" the Necromancer snarled. "I will forfeit my magic? And my children's magic?" His mouth twisted angrily. "I do not think so, Mahou mo Ken. You are on _my_ home ground now!" his staff flung in her direction, and he snarled, "Haryuuheki!"

A wall of flowing, waving energy was flung toward her, and once again, Ken incanted. "Break." The energy was flung apart once more, and Ken grunted in surprise at the amount of magic it took to break the wave apart.

"Yes," Haruko grunted coldly. "This is the power of my ancestral lands!" he shouted in glee, casting another wave at her.

Instead of breaking it, knowing that it would deplete her reserves needlessly, the woman used the Shinpou, the Flash Step, and vanished, first taking a step backward and then to the side, letting the wave leave the house through the damaged front, while she remained out of its way.

Her hand closed tightly around her staff. The criminal she was here to hunt had tried to incapacitate the Emperor. That he had failed was of no importance… that she had been the one to stop the vengeful spirit was of no importance either. And now she was here to apprehend the criminal. Of course he had not accepted her offer of leniency. The punishment for crimes like these was straightforward… lose all magic, all magic in the family and your descendants.

Or death. Honorable death saved the magic in the family. But he was the last of his line… if he lost his magic, his children would not have magic anyway. Of course death was not an option. His family died with him.

And now… now he was using powers he was not meant to use, using energy that was not his own, in order to beat her. Her face flushed in anger, and Ken did not easily anger. He was using magical deposits, stores built up over the last two hundred and fifty years of ancestry, in a meager bid to save his life. Ken Flash Stepped back inside, barely two seconds after leaving, just behind the wave, letting it rampage behind her, knowing there was not another soul around for many kilometers.

Her staff shifted instantly to her left hand, her right drawing her sword. Flinging her staff with her left hand, she grunted, "Kuzuryusen!" The nine flashes streaked towards the man, an energy left his finger behind as he jerked it up. "Forbid!"

A five-pointed star appeared it front of him, catching the nine streaks of magic, stopping them completely before vanishing. Her face twisted as she went on, "Kuzuryusen! Kuzuryusen!"

Again and again, he stopped the nine simultaneous attacks as she inched closer and closer, right before she launched as high into the air as she could inside the house, and attacked him with her sword. The metal was glowing a fierce white, channeling her magic stores, as it slammed against a hurriedly composed physical shield by the Necromancer.

"Forget it, Ken," he smiled evilly at seeing her face contort at his use of her name. "I have enough energy to wait until you run dry!"

Ken grunted darkly. She knew that his power was nowhere near this level, but the vast reserves of energy he had here were a serious advantage, and for a moment Ken had wished that she had taken him on somewhere else. Her hand clenched on her weapons immediately. No. There was no choice. He needed to be stopped, and he needed to be stopped _now_. And she knew it was her duty to her Emperor to be the one to stop him.

She was too close to him to use the Seals, but she had other weapons at her disposal. Flinging her sword upward after her landing, she didn't mind it bouncing off his physical shield again. She was channeling her magic into the blade, and knew that she was draining his power, bit by bit. Every bit she took off now, was a bit he wasn't going to be using in attacking her later on.

He grinned darkly, and finally flung his staff in her direction. "Repuu!" Ken immediately crossed her arms in front of her, staff and sword pointing up, feeling the wind tug around her, dragging her backward. Finally, it stopped, and she noticed that he had used this diversion to have the time and materialize a sword.

"Fool. You actually think you can take me with a sword?" she asked.

He grinned darkly. "I have had blade training, Ken," he stated coldly, lifting the sword and feeling magic detonate around him, making his clothes and his hair move on the wind of magic that waved off him.

Ken grunted darkly, feeling the artificial power in the man, entirely relying on the power of his house now, his own strength depleted and running on pure magic reserve. She lifted her own sword, still in her right hand, and let her own power escalate, answering the challenge issued by her opponent.

Flashing toward each other, the two warriors met mid-way, blades striking against each other, magical energy shooting away from them upon impact, blasting the Necromancer's possessions against the far walls of his house, smiting them to shrapnel as the outer walls somehow held against the onslaught of energy being released within them. The second strike was just as devastating as the first, and Ken took one step back, feeling the superior power in her opponent.

He was stronger. But she was faster, and better trained. Taking a second step back, she rotated her body to one side, letting his blade slide right past her, so close that it was almost taking off her nose before he halted the downward strike. Her own sword came up with a horizontal slash to his throat, and somehow he managed to dodge backward and raise his sword to block the strike. More energy waved off them, and the outer walls started to crack.

He jumped up, striking down at her, leaving no opportunity to dodge out of the way, and Ken lifted her blade, meeting the strike dead-on, his power exploding against hers, driving her to one knee as his bore down upon her, his energy pushing her further down, rotating around her personal space, held away from her by her own power, before the two battling storms of magic reached the ground and struck the tatami matting and the underlying wood into splinters, finally dissipating when it reached the ground.

Haruko growled angrily, bringing his sword back, preparing for a second strike, and Ken rolled out of the way, striking at his back. His free hand came up, "Forbid!"

Her strike bounced off the mythical shield, and her left hand, the one holding the staff, came up. "Kuzuryusen!" she snarled, breaking his shield, following up her magical attack with a conventional one as her sword aimed for his unprotected side.

His sword caught her totally off-guard, and the two blades met again, magical energy shooting off in every direction as the two attacks canceled each other. For a few seconds, the two warriors stared at each other.

"You're running out of energy," Haruko said, grinning.

Ken smirked right back. "Not even close. But I think you might be out of energy soon."

"Not bloody likely," Haruko returning, actually laughing, taking a step back and swinging his sword up, into an attack position. Knowing that she could not win a magical battle on this battlefield, Ken folded her staff away, then item-vanishing it from her grip as her now-free hand reached up and grabbed hold of her sword's handle. The air seemed to thicken, and Ken's eyes seemingly glowed with otherworldly energy. Haruko grunted in surprise when the felt the oppressive power reach out from the woman.

"I will annihilate you," Ken stated, coldly, taking a single step forward, and slashing her blade straight down. The energy exploded around the combatants as Haruko blocked the strike, retaliating immediately, his own strike blocked against Ken's sword, the walls of his home cracking further as the pressure inside rose higher and higher. And even though there was major damage to one wall, the pressure was still more than what could escape through one hole.

Said hole continued to grow as the increases in magical pressure ripped into the shredded walls.

Neither Warrior nor Necromancer paid it any attention, their focus locked solely on the other as they circled each other warily, looking for advantage.

Inwardly, Ken was snarling angrily. The house was constricting her, it was preventing her from taking distance and using her stronger, long-range spells, it was preventing her from using the Flash Step, it was preventing her from using her full power. The advantage was further on Haruko's side than the man even realized.

Snarling, she stepped in, and slashed at him, having her strike blocked, she used the force of the block to bounce off, flipping around her axis, crouching low to the ground and going for his legs. He stepped back, out of her reach, bringing his sword up for the decapitating strike. She rolled away, lifting one hand off her sword, and casting a fireball using her arm and hand as a focus of her magic. Haruko let out a grunt of surprise as he was suddenly forced to once again use a magical shield.

Trying to keep him off-balance, she went after him with her sword again, aware that, somewhere, his reserves were getting lower and lower, the house's reserves could not be endless after all. Her next strike came as a full surprise to him, as it actually forced him back a step, the force laced through the strike somehow changed fundamentally. Instead of throwing force like a mindless brute, Ken had shaped her magical force like a fine blade, mirrored into her sword, and struck at him.

She panted deeply at the strain of shaping formless magical energy, but kept up the attack, driving him back with each step as he used tremendous energy to overcome her sharpened magical force. Finally… her break happened.

His sword shattered on impact, and somewhere, deep inside the house, something flickered out.

The walls exploded outward, and the roof was catapulted up and away. Surprised at the sudden turn of events, both warriors broke off and stared at the destruction wreaking havoc around them, stone and dirt thrown up by the sudden rush of Ken's magic, now that it was free of the oppressive weight of the protective wards of the Necromancer's ancestral home.

Haruko snarled something dark, and attacked her with the empty scabbard of his sword. Stepped away and blocking the clumsy strike with her sword, Ken fully expected her enemy to surrender any moment.

What she did not expect was his scabbard to be a hidden form of magical teleport, and she bit off a curse when the air and world warped around her, depositing her and Haruko in some remote wilderness, who knows how far away.

"If you think you can take me in the jungle, you are mistaken," Ken snarled angrily. Haruko grinned ruefully. "The downside of that was that I had to go with you… but the upside is that nobody will ever find you!" he screamed, closed his eyes, and muttered three words.

_Release the Dragon._

Ken stepped back, her eyes wide when Haruko's power exploded around him, as if taking actual physical form, and Ken could almost see a pitch-black scaled dragon flash at her. Now that she was out in the open, no longer confined by walls that would hinder her, she used the Flash Step to get out of the way.

To her surprise, the Haruko-Dragon was as fast, if not faster than her, chasing her down as she Flash Stepped through the jungle. Finally, Ken bounced off a tree with her feet, and planted herself firmly in a clearing in the dark forest. Closing her eyes, she let her mage-sight take over, her sixth sense that provided her with perfect vision and the ability to see the magical currents in the air around her.

She calmed her beating heart and panting breath for just a few moments. It was all she would need… even if the Mage Sight robbed her of her strength and endurance. See-feeling the dragon flash towards her, she struck with her sword and all the power she had left, knowing she did not have the time to keep getting away from him, and letting his energy run out.

She felt her sword strike flesh, and opened her eyes, the Mage Sight falling away. Haruko, no longer contained in the power of the magic dragon, was flying backwards, his body flung away like a rag doll, striking a tree, before tumbling to the ground, his body smoking.

She grunted in surprise, feeling a slash at her right arm."You… win," Haruko whispered, his whisper carrying like a gunshot in the cold silence of the night. "But… you lose."

Ken felt sweat break out as a fever struck her body. Grunting, she fell to one knee, one hand clenching the cut in her arm, her sword falling to the ground as her fingers no longer had the strength to grip the handle. "Damn it," she whispered darkly, feeling the magic of the curse strike out from the cut.

Her own magic was seriously depleted, and she knew she could never teleport back to where she was, let alone teleport all the way back to headquarters. Not that she knew where she was, or how far she had to teleport… just as she fell sideways, her body shivering uncontrollably as her innate magic fought the curse to its fullest extent, Ken thought it didn't matter anymore.

She closed her eyes, and let herself fall into the embrace of the magical slumber, hoping her inner magic would be able to fight off the curse and heal her. And if that didn't work… well, going out while fighting your opponent was a good death. Before the darkness claimed her completely, she spared a single thought for her two students, and hoped they would find their way in the world, now that she was no longer there to guide them.

00000

Harry felt strangely detached as he raced towards his destination, unaware that there were any forms of magical travel this fluent and comfortable. He was so used to the pulling, tugging sensation of portkeys, and the disorienting rumble of Floo Travel that he had forgotten that travel was supposed to be smooth and comfortable.

As he raced on, aware of the fact that he was crossing hundreds of kilometers every second, he risked looking closer at this strange mode of travel he was now experiencing. No physical discomfort was a definite plus, and the strange, gentle, blue-white tunnel he was flashing through seemed peaceful enough for him to risk looking at it. Aware of the fact that his magic was being drained as he traveled further, he swallowed deeply as he saw the tunnel shrinking.

Yep. It was most definitely shrinking.

Balling his fists, he focused on the task at hand, well aware of the fact that the spell was sapping his strength. As the tunnel kept shrinking, only one thought filled his head.

_Don't let me fail. Please… don't let me fail. I need to get to Japan. Please don't fail me…_

His fist balled, and Harry let out a choked scream as the tunnel kept collapsing, and pain started manifesting itself in his body. For just a fraction of a second, he allowed himself to think about the fact that every form of magical travel seemed to be inherently painful and uncomfortable, even one that started out peaceful and gentle enough.

It was close to five minutes before the travel ended, an endlessly painful experience as his magic sapped and his tunnel tried to end him. Somehow, through sheer focus and determination did Harry manage to arrive at his destination, a dull clap of thunder heralding his arrival, and a black containment circle burning itself into the wooden floor in an exact mirror of the one burned into the floor at home.

"Ha… Harry?" Maya asked, suddenly appearing in his field of vision.

Blinking dully, he tried to focus on her face, aware of the fact that he was swaying on his legs. Slowly, he opened his mouth. "Hi Maya," he whispered weakly, feeling pain split his consciousness apart. Screaming, he fell to the ground, his legs unable to support him further.

It was only then that he realized that he was bleeding horribly, deep lacerations visible through his clothing on his arms, legs, chest and back. "How did you get here so fast?" Maya asked, concerned, drawing a Seal from somewhere and sticking it deftly onto his forehead. Harry did not really hear nor understand what it was saying. He was not listening with his full attention anyway… something else was occupying his mind.

It was obvious that Maya had done this before, as the Seal closed most of his wounds, and took most of the pain away. "I… I used a teleportation Seal," Harry whispered, suddenly remembering that the girl had asked a question.

She frowned, and stared at him. "You couldn't have left your house more than half an hour ago, we were talking in your mind. How many Seals did you use?"

Harry shook his head. "Just one. Britain to Japan."

Her eyes went big. "You used a teleportation Seal, a spell with a limited range of seven hundred to one thousand kilometers, and used it to teleport halfway around the world!? No wonder you're hurt! The spell would have started to unravel after twelve hundred or so kilometers, tops!"

He grinned darkly. "It did. I kept it together," he said, sitting up, feeling better now that her healing Seal had closed his wounds. He looked down. It had closed the wounds, and took the pain away… but he could still see the dark-brown crusts spiral across his body, the wounds still present.

She shook her head. "The amount of power required would be…"

"Substantial," he answered her, and looked into her eyes. "But we need to find Ken-Sensei."

Maya nodded, and sat down next to him. "I can't find her," she whispered sadly. "She's too far. She vanished, right from under the noses of her support team." She looked at him. "I managed to contact them. Being the Apprentice to Ken-Sensei has some advantages." She sighed deeply once more. "One moment, she was fighting Haruko. The next moment, they vanished."

Harry swallowed a lump in his throat. This sounded suspiciously like a portkey of some sort, and he hated to think about what this Haruko person would do to his teacher. If he was bad enough for her to go after him personally, he could not be a pushover. His fist balled. "You said you can't find her. Does that mean you can track her? Or scan for her?"

Maya nodded. "It's short-range, though. No more than fifteen or twenty kilometers. Sensei may be on the other side of the country."

"Or the world," Harry muttered darkly, under his breath. Slowly, he let out his breath, and stood up, somehow finding balance in his mutilated body. He reached one hand down, as an invitation to Maya. She took it, and he balanced her as she lifted to her feet, looking strangely at him as he looked back at her.

"We need to find Sensei," he re-iterated. Their hands were still together, and she looked deep into his eyes, burning fiercely with determination. The air around him still reeked of magic, strong and raging, even after traveling halfway around the world on a short-range traveling Seal.

If he could do this, then, by the gods, so could she! Slowly, her own eyes reflected his determination back at him. "We need to find Sensei," she grunted in answer, dipping her head.

The most curious thing happened then, as both their determinations lashed together, and for a moment it was as if they were both falling into the other's eyes. Magic swept around them, locking together, melding, uniting.

They blinked, and looked at each other. Neither spoke as Harry turned and walked outside. Maya went to one of the cabinets, retrieved something, and followed Harry. She found him outside, in the garden, staring up at the moon. At her approach, he just looked at her, and nodded. She nodded back, and handed him something.

Without looking at the object, he closed his eyes and clasped it firmly in his hands. Standing behind him, Maya put her hands on his shoulders, and started whispering. Harry just kept his eyes closed, and breathed normally.

Magic came into visible existence around them. It reached for Harry, Maya, the object, the ground around them, the air surrounding them, the moon, the stars, the water of the little pond in the back of the garden.

As Maya finished her spell, Harry's eyes snapped open, and inside his mind's eye, a map of Japan flashed into existence, a bright red dot marking the spot. Harry snapped back to reality, and glanced over his shoulder at Maya, who nodded grimly.

Neither said a word as Harry put Ken's hairbrush down on the wooden floor inside the house, and turned to Maya, who was holding out a Seal.

Neither spoke, letting the Seals speak for them.

_I am movement, and I am displacement. I am teleportation!_

The two teens vanished, magic carrying them above Japan, then seven hundred kilometers straight down, to a small island off the coast of Okinawa.

They reappeared in a dense jungle, sharing a single glance and then looking around, back to each other, each taking in the new surroundings with a full sweep, the other at their back. Together, they spun, together, they looked, and together, they stopped.

Harry didn't even blink as he turned and just started walking next to Maya, stepping up to the semi-concealed unconscious form of Ken. They shared a single glance at the sight of the still-smoking man's body which lay dead against one of the trees a little distance away, before looking down at Ken.

They still did not speak as they looked at their unconscious teacher's body, neither really knowing what to do, until Harry reached down and started examining her. She looked too pale and clammy to be _just_ injured, and somehow, they knew that a curse must be involved. At the time that Harry was slowly trying to figure out what happened, Maya closed her eyes, and started whispering again. A small jet of water appeared out of the ground next to her, and using a part of her clothes, she put a cold compress to Ken's fevered forehead.

At the same time, their eyes went big, as Harry seemed to have found something… the cut on her right arm, which had now turned a vicious black underneath her robes.

The two teens blinked, and Maya face distorted into one of utter worry. "Harry, no!"

Harry was silent, and drew a Seal, letting the writing appear, even as his free hand peeled the scab off one of his wounds, and gathered up the blood. A single flash later, and his fingers had spread blood over the Seal. He slapped it down on Ken's forehead.

"Harry!" Maya shouted again. "You can't!"

"Ken is the first person who cared about me _for me_, not because of some idiot prophecy or because of something that happened when I was a baby. I am _not_ letting her die," he said, coldly, glancing once from his teacher's body to Maya, before looking down once again.

"Even as blood is of the element Water," Harry whispered, bringing his hands together, closing his eyes, and letting his magic shape before his mind's eye. "I must now summon the blood as a bond, beyond the meaning of liquid, but as the meaning of Life."

When Harry's eyes opened, they were white as light. "Harry Potter, Plasmatizer, asks the Blood Seal! What are you!?"

Magic flashed up. _I am_ _reanimation and rejuvenation! I bring life to what once was dead…!_

A thunderclap punctured the night's silence, and Maya jumped with the ferocious intensity of it. The next moment, the otherworldly glow in Harry's eyes had vanished, the magic finished swirling around them, and the night slowly regained its usual sounds.

Maya stared, like Harry, at Ken's right arm, now fully healed. Slowly, her eyes fluttered. "What… happened?" she whispered, her dry throat raspy and harsh.

Harry just smiled, closed his eyes, and fell sideways. He didn't even hear the startled cry from Maya as he fell to the soft ground of the jungle.

00000

Pain shot through his body, as Harry returned to the land of the living with a sharp jolt. As awareness flooded back, he took stock of his situation, not able, nor willing, to open his eyes just yet. He felt his nerves singing in pain, and a dull groan escaped his lips as life returned to his battered body. His recollections were hazy… Ken, telling him that there was an important situation that required her personal attention. Maya, telling him that something happened to Ken during her mission. Him, turning a short-range teleportation Seal into an intercontinental displacement spell, using raw magic to fuel the spell beyond its original capacity.

That was the last thing he remembered with some clarity, the haze claiming more of the details of his memories after that. Harry was aware that a frown etched itself onto his forehead as he focused deeper, trying to figure out more of what happened. And, he was sure, something happened. It was as if a pure infusion of power had happened to him after coming to Japan, more than half dead from exhaustion and transportation Seal degradation.

As if two sets of memories were in his mind, one on top of the other, blanketing, buffering each other, forcing him to remember each moment separately, and trying to figure out the full picture. Harry walked through the events.

Maya, handing him Ken's hairbrush. He remembered himself, focusing the remainder of his magical energy into Maya's casting. His throat swallowed involuntarily, pain shooting through his body as his dry throat contracted reflexively. He remembered a forest of some kind, and Ken… Ken's injuries. That curse… that awful curse that triggered some of the knowledge Ken had instilled into his subconscious.

She had been right… when needed, he just _knew_ what to do. The knowledge was just _there_.

The Blood Seal, he remembered, and the memory cleared, as if he separated from the second set of memories then. The Blood Seal, the resurrection spells. He had used the Dark Arts, the black underbelly of the Seal Magic, and used it to save Ken's life.

He opened his eyes when he felt a cool washcloth pressed against his forehead.

"How are you feeling?" Maya's voice asked, gently, as his eyelids fluttered.

"Dreadful," he croaked in response.

"You should," the girl replied levelly, bringing a cup with liquid into his sight. Harry, still squinting against the light in the room, gratefully took the offering. A straw was tucked in between his lips, and Harry sucked for all he was worth. Which, at this point, was not very much, but it succeeded in getting some fluids into his body at least. Maya sat next to him, and watched him drink. As Harry finished the cup, and he managed to open his eyes a little wider, he took stock of the place he was in.

He was in an almost bare room, with just a couple of cabinets against one wall, and wall-to-wall tatami mats on the ground. Harry didn't stop to question on how he knew what tatami mats were, and he moved on. He was on the floor, on a futon, a Japanese bedroll, and Maya was sitting on the mat next to him.

"You used dark arts, Harry," Maya whispered. "You used a Blood Seal." She sighed, and shook her head. "You could have died."

"But I didn't," Harry replied in a whisper, his voice still hurting from the dryness of his throat, even after drinking a cup of water. The liquid still hadn't quenched his thirst, and only his pride kept him from asking for more.

Off to his right, a sliding door opened, and Ken walked in. Her characteristic limp was even more pronounced, and she was moving with a forced expression on her face, as if she were biting back pain.

She knelt down, slowly, on the other side of Harry's futon. "I'm glad to see you are back with us, my foolish young apprentice," she said, although there was a small smile tugging at her lips as she settled down.

"Ken-Senei," Harry whispered, unable to find his voice to utter more than just her name and title. Finally, he managed to collect himself, time the others graciously granted him. "I couldn't… couldn't give up." He closed his eyes, and sighed. "I have lost so many people… and so few people I know still treat me…" He swallowed. "Treat me like you have been treating me. I just couldn't… couldn't let you go."

He opened his eyes, and looked at her. "I'm glad you're alright, Ken-Sensei."

She dipped her head. "I am pleased to see that you are alright as well, my young apprentice. Although I would like to know where you learned to supercharge a Teleportation Seal, and how you learned about the Blood Seals."

Harry was silent for a few moments, trying to figure out how to explain the sudden insight… the influx of knowledge that happened when critical decisions forced themselves upon him. "I… just knew, Ken-Sensei. When Maya-Senpai told me you were hurt, I just knew how to get here. Long-range Seals are limited to a few thousand kilometers, and _will_ end when they are done. The short-range teleportation Seal won't. It'll keep going, as long as you pump energy into it. I just _knew_ all that." He swallowed again. "And when we found you, I just knew which spell you were hit with, and how to counter it. I thought that it was the knowledge you put in my mind."

Ken sighed. "Harry, Harry, Harry," she whispered over and over, shaking her head. "You are the most foolish, and bravest person I have ever met. Yes, you were correct in thinking that what I taught your subconscious was what handed you the knowledge needed to achieve your goals. The thing is… most people would think of ways to get here, and automatically exclude the very foolish and very suicidal ideas that would pop up. You, on the other hand, decided that you _would_ get here, and that you _would_ heal me, regardless of what happened to you. And that is what your subconscious handed you."

Harry nodded, accepting that explanation.

"Harry, your magical reserves must be enormous to be able to survive all of this," his teacher said, levelly, looking up, and looking at Maya. "There is but one thing I am still not clear about, and it is a question my other apprentice has refused to answer, for some reason." Maya flushed, and looked at the ground, and Harry found himself weary. He did not want to betray anything that Maya felt confidential. "Please, ask," he said, gently. "But, please do not force me to answer if I don't want to."

Ken sighed, and nodded, while Maya smiled at Harry. He smiled back at her, and nodded his head.

"You claimed you found me. However, I am well aware that I was hundreds of kilometers away, and that there was no way a detecting spell would have revealed my location. Exactly _how_ did you manage to find me?"

Harry glanced from Ken to Maya, and frowned at her, a question in his eyes. Why did Maya not want to answer this question?

As if reading his mind, the girl answered his silent question. "I didn't want to answer the question without you there, Harry. What we did… we need to tell together."

He smiled at her, suddenly feeling incredibly grateful towards her. He turned to Ken, and tried to explain, in his own words, what had happened. Suddenly, Maya interjected into his discourse, but to Harry's immense surprise, it did not break his train of thought. Rather, it felt as if the second set of memories in his mind was suddenly given voice, and with a face filled with wonder, he finished his tale, looking at Maya, who's face held the same sense of wonder his held.

Ken stared at the two of them, glancing from one to the other, and back to the first, obviously shocked, but unable to voice her thoughts for a good while. After nearly thirty seconds of silence, the Japanese woman finally told them what was on her mind.

"When two people are similarly focused on a single goal, their magic may link together. It's extremely rare, but as you noticed, the results are spectacular. You were able to combine your innate abilities, your magical reserves, and in some cases, even your knowledge. What happened transcended what you both put in, and for the time you were linked, you were one of mind and magic. During that time, you possessed power transcending that of most wizards in existence."

Harry and Maya swallowed, looking at their teacher with big eyes. "Usually, such a connection forms only after a long and intensive training, and even then it is unstable, as both wizards have to focus on that single goal. Literally, you have to be of one mind, able to synchronize your magic and your mind at the same time, in order to maintain the connection. What you two did was even more difficult… without a moment's training in the area; you were so focused upon your goal that your souls resonated."

The woman swallowed, and looked away, at one of the blank walls. "I don't want to contemplate the stress you were both under in order to be of such similar mind that this happened naturally."

Maya and Harry shared a look. Finally, Harry sighed, and looked back to his teacher. "It was not pretty, Ken-Sensei. When I got here, the spell had ripped into my body. I was too new, too inexperienced to keep the spell's integrity together. Maya had to heal me."

"And I was furious at him," Maya interjected, taking over, telling the details they left out during their first explanation. "And then he said that he wanted to get you, saying the same thing he said to you. He wasn't going to lose you, and he would get you back." The girl swallowed, and looked at the ground. "I realized that Harry was right. After my parents died, you took me in, you were my mother and my father, my entire family. You mean the world to me, and I was not about to let you go without trying. What Harry said made total sense."

"And that is when it happened," Harry said, taking over once more. "We both realized we needed to get you back, and that nothing was going to stop us. We broke apart only after we found you."

"I refused to be part of blood magic," Maya said, still looking at the ground. "I wanted to save you at all costs, but I refused to turn to the black arts. I thought there had to be another way."

"And we broke apart, as I didn't think we _had_ time," Harry said. "We broke, and I cast the Blood Seal."

Ken shook her head. "I thank you both for saving my life," she said, simply. "And I am grateful to be here and be able to berate your stupidity, Harry. Do not think for one moment that I am not grateful for you saving my life, but the next time this situation happens, you will not turn to the Blood Seal, remember? I refuse to be helped by the forceful injecting of your life force into mine. You could have killed yourself had I been hurt worse than I was. You were lucky my own magic was battling the curse to an almost-standstill, and was able to assist you. The next time, I may be more seriously hurt, and you may kill yourself doing the spell."

Harry looked at her. "But… it was supposed to be a Necromantic Seal. Bring life to the dead. I thought that, since you were still alive, it would just bring you back!"

Ken looked seriously at him. "In theory, that is correct; however, reanimating dead tissue temporarily is a whole different matter than _permanently healing living flesh_!" She shouted the last part, and Harry flinched back, not believing that Ken was shouting at him. It was the first time she'd done so, and he felt worse than he had ever felt when a teacher berated him.

She drew a deep breath. "Regardless, it worked, and we are both alive for your efforts. Next time, keep in mind that magic doesn't always work the way you think it will. Now, you will be weak for the next couple of days, so I suggest that you stay here and recuperate." She leaned over, and grabbed his shoulder, squeezing it affectionately. "We'll take care of you, the way you took care of me, Harry. And even though you made a couple of very foolish errors in your haste, you have made me proud."

His eyes were misting over, but before he could say or do anything, the woman had forced herself to her legs, and was shuffling gingerly out of the room, still in obvious pain but too stubborn to let it show. As Harry tried to sit, his entire body resisted the effort, pulling in that tight, ripping stiffness that he knew so well. He winced, and lowered himself back to the bedroll.

"How long was I out?"

"Three days," Maya said, in a low voice. She smiled at him. "You did well, Harry. Now, get some more rest. You need it." She stood up, and was about to walk out, when she looked back at him. "Before I go, is there something I can get you?"

He smiled slightly. "Some more water would be nice," he whispered.

She nodded, and stepped out of his room. Five minutes later, she returned with a cup and a pitcher, only to find him asleep. She smiled, put them down next to his bedroll, and cast a mild chilling charm on the pitcher, ensuring that Harry would have fresh water when he awoke next.

00000

When Harry opened his eyes, he noticed that the previously harsh daylight was toned down to gentle ambers and reds. Thinking that the sun must be setting, he tried to sit up, managing to do so with his body protesting the movement all the way. He felt stiff as a board after his three-days worth of sleep, and looked around the barren room, not able to bring the energy forth yet to stand up. He smiled slightly when he noticed the pitcher of water.

Pouring himself a glass, he gulped the cool liquid down, feeling it slip through his esophagus all the way to his stomach, quenching his thirst and easing his parched throat. After a second glass, he signed, and looked at the sliding door through which he had seen Ken enter and exit. He knew it went straight outside, and suddenly he wanted nothing more than to be outside and see the sun set.

Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to his legs, and swaying, he scampered over to the door. Holding on to it for dear life, he slid it open, and drew a deep, lungful of sharp, clean, outside air. Vitality returned to him as the purity of the air slipped through his body, and he let go of the door and stood under his own, unassisted, power. Gazing around, he smiled when he stopped to watch Maya, standing next to a small lake in Ken's back yard, going through some sort of martial arts exercise.

Every movement was perfection, flowing smoothly from one form to the other like water. He gazed at her, recognizing some of the things she was doing, recognizing finally that this was an exercise far more advanced than the ones Ken had been teaching him. He sighed slightly, recognizing the difference in level finally, and accepting that no matter how good he may be, he still had years to catch up on if he wanted to match Maya.

"She is doing well," Ken suddenly said from next to him.

Harry would have jumped, had he had the energy to do so. Since he hadn't, he just settled for a startled squeak that sounded way too girlish for his tastes. "Ken-Sensei!" he blustered, trying to cover up his unmanly yell.

Ken smiled enigmatically at him. "You should learn that your surroundings aren't static, Harry. When you watch one thing, you should watch the other things as well. An enemy will not necessarily be as kind as I was, and come stand next to you and announce their presence."

Harry nodded, accepting that lesson. Ken smiled, and nodded as he looked back at her. "Maya is an excellent student," their teacher then said, bringing the conversation back to the original topic. "She is doing an Elemental Kata."

He recognized the word, _kata_. A series of forms, an exercise, meant to train body and mind. As he focused back on Maya, he noticed that her movements were flowing faster now, and a faint glow was visible around her hands as she flowed beautifully from one form to the next, the glow slowly picking up intensity. Finally, she planted her feet, and jerked her hands forward, releasing her body's built-up energy in the form of a small amber orb that flew straight forward, before striking a rock.

Harry noticed a faint tremor through the ground, and looked at his teacher. "The kata of the Element of Earth," Ken explained, and walked towards Maya, who stood, panting, still in the last position she had been in.

Harry just stood there, transfixed, not believing the energy released through this one exercise. Ken said something to Maya, indicating certain things. Maya nodded, dropping from her form finally, and looking at him. Showing him a smile, and waked slowly up to where he stood, watching her. Ken followed, right behind her student.

"So, what'd you think?" Maya asked, still smiling.

"Incredible," he replied, honestly, saying the first and only word he could say to indicate his thoughts.

"Thanks!" she answered, honestly. She let out another breath. "But it wore me out. I'm going to get a shower." She looked him up and down. "It's good to see you're up and about." She glanced at Ken. "I know Ken-Sensei has been itching to get back to teaching you."

Ken shot her apprentice a dark look, before turning to Harry, her face back its impassive self. "Only if you want to, Harry."

"Of course I want to!" he said, immediately glad that she was still going to teach him, and thinking about how different things would be, actually learning in the same environment that Maya trained in.

"Join us after your shower, Maya," Ken said to her female apprentice before showing Harry back into the room he had just exited. "Sit down, fold your legs," Ken said, indicating a position on the floor.

Harry shared a look with Maya, before the girl shot him a smile, winked at him, and turned to leave. Harry nodded to himself. It was true… it was hard not to heed to Ken's orders. As he sat down, she sat down opposite him, and closed her eyes. He closed his own eyes, and let himself fall to the mindscape, knowing instinctively that was what she wanted.

He awoke to a scene out of his worst nightmares, and it scared him half to death. The grass was burned a black the likes of which he had not yet seen, the beautiful gray walls of Hogwarts Castle were smoking husks of burnt cinders, and in the distance, the Whomping Willow was nothing but a pile of ash, waiting for the merest wind to scatter it to the four directions. He felt Ken's signal, requesting entrance.

Without a second thought, he let her in, while he lowered himself to a fallen piece of Hogwarts stone, a piece of marble that once had been the head of a gargoyle, just the right size to use as an impromptu seat as he surveyed the damage.

"I take it from the look on your face that you haven't been here since you… helped me?" Ken asked, appearing next to him, diplomatically changing the wording of her sentence halfway through.

Harry mutely shook his head. Slowly, he looked up at her. "What happened, Ken-Sensei?"

"Hey everybody!" Maya shouted, using that moment to enter, Harry allowing her through the shields the exact moment that she announced her presence. "I hurried my… shower…" She stopped, and looked around. "What happened here?" she asked, sounding as shocked as Harry looked, and slowly sat down next to him on the gargoyle head.

"I was just about to answer that question," Ken replied. "Harry devastated his body with his spell. And even though magical healing closed his wounds, replenished his energy, and brought him back to the land of the living, the disaster wrought upon his mind can not be undone so easily." Ken looked directly at Harry, drawing his attention, so he would look at her instead of the wasteland around him. "When you built up your mind, it also built up your body. You started the path that Maya and I have been walking for years, the path that united mind and body in a single goal. When you built up your mind, your body followed… and now, your body was devastated, and your mind followed. You will need to rebuild."

She drew a breath as his face fell. "But, as always, you will grow stronger from the experience. This is not the last time this will happen, that I can assure you… but every time, you will be strengthened from the cleansing fires."

Maya looked at her teacher. "You never told me this, Ken-Sensei..."

"Usually, it is a lesson one learns later in life, my apprentice. After your first battle to the death, you too, will need to rebuild your mind."

Maya swallowed, and nodded. Harry sighed, and stood up. "Then I'd better get to it," he whispered sadly, feeling the loss of his beautiful mindscape.

Ken put her hand on his shoulder. "It will be better than ever," she promised. "And the time after that, it will be stronger still. Every time you do this, you will gain strength and endurance, and your body and mind will gain from it. And, in turn, your magic will benefit from the power of your mind and body. It is not easy, and it is not quick, but the power is unmistakable."

As Harry stilled, Ken and Maya watched, feeling _something_ go through the mindscape around them. A wind swept up, yanking dust and ash in its wake. The ground shook, and rain poured down, cooling down the scorched earth around them.

"He really is something," Ken whispered to her apprentice, making sure she was speaking at a volume low enough so it didn't disturb Harry. Maya just nodded mutely in agreement.

It was pitch black out by the time the three meditating wizards awoke back to the real world.

"Do not worry too much, Harry," Ken said sagely. "Your mindscape will return, better than ever. You laid excellent ground work today. Tomorrow, we will get back to it…meditation is an excellent way to relax after a long day of training."

Harry just nodded, happy that she was still going to teach him. He had learned so much from her in such a short time, and even now he could feel how the skills he had used recently were helping him, aiding in his understanding of the magic and the ways it worked for and through him. For the first time, he allowed himself to hope… hope that he might have a chance against Voldemort.

As Ken left, and Harry turned to the bedroll that was still on the floor, he became acutely aware of Maya, still in the room with him.

"Maya-Senpai?" he asked.

"This is my room," the girl said, smiling slightly, as she opened a sliding door in the wall, and took out a bedroll. As she spread it out, Harry noticed the cool efficiency with which she performed the simple act. A single jerked motion of her arms, and the roll unrolled on the floor, perfectly made. Smiling at her handiwork, the girl then took out a set of pajamas, and opened the sliding door to the outside. "I'll be right back."

Harry stared mutely from the closed sliding door to the bedroll on the ground, then back to the sliding door.

He still sat there, dazed, as she returned ten minutes later, fully clothed in a set of fluffy dark-blue pajamas that fit perfectly with the dark brown of her eyes and the blackness of her hair. She just smiled as he stared at her, and settled into her bedroll.

"Is something wrong, Harry?" she asked, a smile still on her lips, perfectly aware why he was staring, but getting a kick out of making him say it.

"I… eh… we…" he stammered. "This… this is your room?"

"Sure is," Maya said, stretching her arms behind her luxuriously, then tugging them under her pillow, propping up her head so she could look at Harry better.

He swallowed again, a bundle of nerves suddenly, unable to voice what he wanted to say. She finally giggled, and decided to take pity on him. "You didn't complain when you were unconscious, Harry," Maya said. "Come on, all we do here is sleep. So you see me in my night clothes. It's not as if you wouldn't see me like this if you were sleeping in some other room. Besides, Ken-Sensei didn't have any spare rooms, and this was the easiest solution, seeing as I'm the only one who got out of this without any major injuries."

Harry sighed, seeming to just accept the situation. Relaxing finally, he settled into his own bedroll, suddenly aware of the fact that he was dressed less than he had been when he made his way over here. His sweater had been removed, leaving him only in a t-shirt. And someone had removed his jeans, and replaced them with, what looked to Harry, a set of silk pajama pants.

He decided then that he didn't want to think of who undressed and re-dressed him, and settled into his bedroll. "You're right, Maya-Senpai," he whispered, pulling the covers over him. "This is the first time I've slept in a girl's room, though."

She laughed heartily. "Well then, I hope you enjoy the experience," she said, still laughing. Soon, he chuckled, before joining into the laughter.

It was late before they finally went to sleep, spending their time talking to each other, getting to know each other, sharing their life's stories. It felt somewhat strange to Harry, who had never been the most open of people, that he trusted Maya so easily. Something in the girl just made him trust her, just the way he had trusted Ken that fateful night. Maybe it was because of that decision, one that had brought him nothing but good things, that he opened up to Maya so easily now. After all, she was a student of Ken as well, and she was where he hoped to be one day.

The next morning, Harry opened his eyes after an intense, yet short, night's sleep. Maybe it was because he had spent the last couple of days in bed, but Harry didn't feel the least bit tired after only four or five hours of sleep. Silently getting up, he sneaked out the door without waking Maya, who was still sound asleep, her breathing even and almost inaudible. He smiled slightly at the girl, who was feeling more like family every time he saw her, and closed the door. He looked around the yard he had been in yesterday, and had watched Maya perform the elemental kata.

He looked at the surface of the small lake, then glanced at the surrounding nature. The house was small, but sturdily built, and planted right in the middle of, what looked like, a stretch of undisturbed nature. It was built in a classic Japanese fashion, and Harry didn't stop to question how he knew this. Even though it had only been a few weeks, he was already accepting that pieces of knowledge would pop up from time to time, without any trace as to where they came from, or how he learned them.

The rooms were built around the perimeter of the house, exiting through a sliding door to the outside, a wooden walkway going all the way around the house, covered by a wooden roof, allowing the occupants to move from room to room without getting wet.

He stood on the edge of the walkway, drawing in a deep breath of fresh outside air, before turning and walking around the house. He found Ken's room quite easily, as it was the only one even his untrained magical senses could sense a ward on. Grinning, he left the door alone, and resumed his walk. The next door he opened ended up to be a very comfortable-looking kitchen, with ample space for two people to have their meals. It looked nice enough for three, as well, Harry thought, and smiled slightly at his own thoughts as he closed the door once more.

Further excursions showed him where the bathroom was, as well as a room that looked like it was some kind of formal reception room. Finally, he completed his circle of the house, having seen all the rooms… except for Ken's bedroom, that is.

As he walked to the lake, when his eyes fell upon something else. A small building lay hidden by the trees, and if light hadn't fallen upon the wooden roof just so, Harry would have missed it entirely. Curious, he walked towards it, noticing that it too, had sliding doors that were unlocked, and unwarded.

Feeling bold, he slid open the door, and walked inside. Realizing that he was in the dojo, or training room, he looked around, smiling softly at the Japanese sayings that were attached to the walls, before his eyes came to rest on the far wall.

Where most of the room had tatami mats to absorb some shocks from falling, the far end of the dojo had a wooden floor, and what looked like a small altar in front of it. Walking towards it, he stopped right in front of it to take in all the details.

The wooden wall was decorated with swords, beautiful swords, their scabbards decorated sometimes with outlandish colors, and sometimes with gentle and classic colors. As his gaze traveled across the various katana on their hooks on the wall, his eyes were drawn to one katana in particular.

The handle was silver and black, the cross-guard a golden oval, and its scabbard was the most beautiful red he had ever seen. Sparkling in the early morning sunlight, the blade seemed to call out to him even as his eyes were still roving over the golden decorations of the deep-red scabbard.

He could not contain himself, and slowly, he reached out, one hand reaching for the sword, ready to lift it off the hooks that supported it.

"DON'T!" a voice boomed from behind him, freezing Harry in his tracks.

Hurried footsteps closed on him, and for just a few seconds, Harry didn't dare move. Finally, he dropped his hand, and looked over his shoulder to where Maya was approaching him rapidly.

"Harry, you never _ever_ touch a sword," she said, coming to a stop right next to him, looking at the swords attached to the wall. "Not just because these swords are warded," she said, finally turning to look at him. "A sword is an extension of someone's soul, Harry. Touching it is like… the greatest insult. Swordsmasters of old, when confronted with a situation where they had to surrender their swords, chose death rather than the dishonor of having someone else touch it. In the best cases, the swordsmaster broke the sword before surrendering it, making sure that the extension of their soul would be released." She drew a breath. "Somehow, I thought Sensei would have taught you that."

Harry shook his head mutely, unable to utter a word. Maya nodded, then shrugged. "I guess it can't be helped, then." She smiled slightly at him. "Be glad I caught you, and not Ken-Sensei. Anyway, seeing as you keep referring to me as Senpai, allow me to teach you a lesson on sword ethics."

Harry nodded again, slowly forming a smile as he realized she wasn't angry with him anymore. "For a non-magical person and their sword, that belief was all it was… basically, the belief that an extension of a person's soul was housed in the sword, and that someone else touching it was a grave dishonor. It made the swordsmasters incredible fighters, as they knew _their_ sword inside and out. For a magical person, the sword really does become an extension of the soul." She looked back to the swords on the wall. "A magical swordsman and their sword are linked. Tell me, Harry, have you ever heard of the Soulbond?"

Harry shook his head. "I haven't, Senpai."

"A soulbond sword is linked, bonded, to its master. The process is called the Soulbond. The sword becomes an extension of the master's body and soul, and anybody _but_ the master's touch results in a very painful discharge of energy. That is why, under no circumstance, do you touch a sword. For one, it might be a grave dishonor, for second, it may result in grave injuries, sometimes even death."

Harry nodded again. "Then I'm really grateful you stopped me." He looked back at the wall, finally finished with his staring at the girl next to him. "So these swords, if I touched them…"

Maya shook her head. "They are warded, true, but the swords themselves are harmless. They are the swords belonging to the sworsmasters of Ken-Sensei's non-magical family. I believe the one you tried to touch belonged to Sensei's Great-Grandfather. When a magical swordsmaster dies, his soul departs this world, and the sword shatters. It is buried with the swordmaster, that is why there are no magical swords attached to this wall."

Harry nodded, accepting that piece of wisdom, his head spinning as Ken's teaching filled in some gaps. He was curious to find out that he knew how to conduct a basic soulbond ceremony. Not that he would do one, but it was something he knew he would be capable of doing.

"Come on, let's get outside," she said, turning and motioning for the door. "Sensei will have us in here soon enough. We should enjoy our morning, and get some breakfast."

Harry nodded, and turned to leave after her. As they reached the door, he said, "Maya-Senpai?"

She looked over her shoulder as she walked. "Harry?"

"Thank you," he said, motioning to the room they were leaving behind. "For in there. I didn't want to…"

"I know," she said as his voice trailed off. "You didn't know."

"But I know now," he said, resolved in that he would not make the same mistake again. Maya nodded, and looked back to where she was going, Harry following right behind her, rather subdued.

Standing behind a corner, Ken watched them leave, smiling slightly to herself. "You did well in there, Maya. I'm glad to see you'll be teaching him the finer points, beyond mere fighting." She sighed. "Teach him how to live, and how to live well. He needs it… he has had so many hardships in his life." Still smiling sadly to herself, she turned around and vanished behind her dojo, planning on surprising her two students at the breakfast table, and acting as if she didn't know what had happened.

An hour later, after they had breakfast, Ken took them out to the lake. "Your time here is very limited, Harry," Ken said as they had halted at the edge of the small lake. "You should go back soon… the blood wards on your relatives house will have started to crumble, and it is only your presence that can renew them."

Harry just nodded sadly, wishing that he could stay here, in Japan, where people actually talked to him, and explained to him why they wanted him to do certain things in a certain way. Not for the first time, he debated totally abandoning Great Britain and its bigoted wizarding world, and settling here, in Japan, permanently.

Just as fast as those thoughts came up, they were shot down. Harry thoughts of his friends, the people he cared for, and Hogwarts. And then there were new things, things he had learned from Ken and Maya. Honesty. Loyalty. Honor. They were new concepts, grand and totally different from the way he had learned before, but they were starting to gain foothold in his mind and his heart. Deep inside, he was beginning to learn… Voldemort had chosen _him,_ Harry Potter, to be his mortal enemy. And even though others had tried, it looked as if the prophecy made in his honor actually seemed to be true. It was _his_ problem, the eradication of Voldemort, and there was nothing he could do about it… except train, learn, and do his very best. And should he die in the course of this road… well then, he would reunited with his family, and he would have given his life with honor.

As his mind started to wrap itself around this, Ken studied him with strange interest as the emotions played across his face. Harry seemed to gain new insight into himself with each passing day, the teachings she had drilled into his mind slowly assimilating themselves into his conscious thinking. And the things he had done… things he had done together with Maya… further accelerated the process. Harry was learning, and he was maturing at the same time.

She sighed, knowing that time was running out for them, and snapped the fingers of her left hand, her right hand still leaning onto her staff. Her legs still felt weak, and no matter how much healing Harry could do on her, the injury in her knee would never be right. And after being wounded like this, she would always feel the full extent of its weakness. A wooden sword materialized in her left hand, and she held it out, handle-first, to Harry.

"Today we will jump-start your sword lessons," she instructed as he took the wooden sword from her. "I am fairly confident that you will make a half-decent swordsman in a couple of months, after all your new knowledge has come to the surface. Today, we will jump-start your memories, allowing you to get some of the basics, and your mind can built itself up from there."

Harry nodded, and took the sword in the grip she demonstrated.

When he finally fell into the chair in the kitchen for dinner that night, Harry had no idea his body could hurt in the ways that it did. Muscles he never knew he had were telling him quite vocally that he had pushed them beyond their endurance, and that he'd better make it up to them.

He consumed his meal in silence, digested the day's teachings, the ways of handling a sword, the ways of dueling, the way of the warrior, the Way of the Sword. He swallowed slowly in a dry mouth. The Way of the Sword… the Way that told how to use a weapon, when to use the weapon, and when not to use the weapon. He shook his head, turning back to his meal. He was becoming very introspective during his stay in Japan, growing quieter than he had ever been, and he had never been the most vocal to begin with.

"You're awfully quiet," Maya said, teasingly.

"I have a lot to think about," he replied honestly, glancing at Ken. "Ken-Sensei has taught me a lot in a short period of time, and I guess it takes time for me to digest it all."

Maya just nodded, grinning. "Sensei is good at that. I remember when I first started learning under her."

Harry grinned back at the girl. "But she is the best teacher I ever had. At least she explains why there are rules, and she explains what happens when you don't follow them, instead of expecting blind obedience, the way my teachers in Britain do." He sighed. "I wish I could stay, but I know that I can't. Apparently, fate has decided that I have to deal with Voldemort."

Maya just nodded. "We all must go there, wherever fate desires us to go. We just sometimes get to make a detour along the way," she said, so obviously quoting someone that Harry couldn't help but smile. Maya started laughing, and soon, he joined her, not noticing Ken's pleased expression as her two students joked and laughed together. For a moment, she was about to interject that she was right there, and that it was impolite to speak about someone in the third person while in their presence, but Harry's comments had come straight from the heart, and she didn't want to give him the impression that speaking the truth was prohibited here.

"If you two are quite finished," Ken said dryly after both her students stopped their final snicker, and wiped the final tear from their eyes, "there is one more lesson I must teach Harry before bed tonight."

Harry just nodded, not feeling half as bad about Ken's late-night lessons than he had ever felt at Hogwarts about late-night Astronomy classes. Half an hour later, the dishes had been washed. Much to Harry's surprise, they were washed non-magically, without any use of magic whatsoever.

"Magic is a great tool, but one must take precautions not to become dependent upon it," Ken had said, smiling slightly. "Doing so makes one complacent, and I believe that too, may be one of the causes of the current crisis in your home country."

"How so, Ken-Sensei?" Harry had asked.

"Complacent people let others guide their actions, they want one leader to take care of everything. More often than not, they elect someone, then think it's enough. Usually, it isn't… remember this lesson well, Harry. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. No matter how powerful your Dark Lord is, if the people rose up against him, not even he would survive."

He had frowned, not really understanding. Ken, seeing this, explained further. "I understand he is incredibly powerful, Harry. But think of this… even he needs to sleep, to eat and drink, to go to the bathroom. If hundreds of wizards came after him, constantly chasing him, attacking him, fighting him… sure, the death toll would be atrocious, but, he would die as well."

Harry had nodded slowly, seeing where she came from, and filing it away as 'yet one more thing to think about later'.

And right now, they were back in the room he shared with Maya, cross-legged on the floor. Another meditation lesson, Harry decided, actually looking forward to it. He knew he would need to do a lot more healing on his mind before it was back to where it was before he rushed over here, but he also knew, just from the foundations he had lain, that this, mindscape version 2, would be better than what it had been before.

They arrived in his devastated mindscape, now just looking empty rather than the devastated battlefield it had looked like the day before.

"Where shall I start, Ken-Sensei?" Harry asked.

She shook her head. "You must heal your mind yourself, Harry. Today, we will be holding a mental swords lesson, to stay with what we did today." She sat down, cross-legged, Maya following immediately. Both women took the swords that hung from their hips, unhooked it from their belts as they slipped down to the ground, and ended up in a perfect position, with the swords across their knees.

Harry just went down to the same position a few seconds later, amazed at the fluidity they displayed in this mental area. "Did you feel the sword earlier?" Ken asked.

He looked at her, thinking hard about her question. "I… am not sure, Sensei."

"Did you feel that the weapon was part of you, an extension of your arm as you moved it around?" she asked the question in a different manner.

Harry was quiet once more. "I… felt some of it, Sensei… or, at least, I think I did."

Ken nodded. "Good. The first step is always to acknowledge that you do not know everything. Now, I want you to close your eyes, and focus on the wooden weapon you used this afternoon. Do not just create a wooden sword in here. I want you to _pull_ the wooden weapon in here. I want you to pull _that particular_ wooden sword in here." Her hand gripped her sword. "Just like these are the weapons Maya and I use in the real world, I want you to hold in your hands the wooden sword you used this afternoon."

Harry recognized what she asked of him, and he stared slightly at her. "Sensei?"

"I know you know what this is, Harry. But this is merely the first step, and the most difficult one. I never asked Maya to practice this… but we had months to work on this. You and I, we don't have the luxury of time, so I ask of you, to practice this."

Harry sighed, and nodded. He closed his eyes, and focused his mind, trying to visualize the weapon he had used that afternoon, in all its detail and in full clarity. This was totally different from anything he had ever done before… this was not a simple summoning charm, this was the literal crossing of the boundaries that separated the physical from the mental world. He frowned, dropping deeper into concentration, vaguely aware that his breath was coming in short gasps, and that sweat was running down his face, both in the physical and in the mental world.

The work was hard, a lot harder than anything he had done in his mindscape before, with the possible exception of the construction of his shields. Thankfully, those had held, he thought, but the thought itself vanished as soon as it had popped up, every bit of his concentration needed for the task he had been set. Slowly, he became aware of the sword, and for just a fleeting moment, it was as if the sword was becoming aware of him as well.

A shape started to coagulate in his hands, but Harry couldn't allow his elation to overcome his concentration. In fact, he forced himself even deeper, summoning a physical shape to him, here in his mindscape, binding it to him in ways that Harry was struggling to understand consciously… even as his subconscious spurred him on, apparently in full understanding.

Mental energy flew up from the ground where the boy sat, both Ken and Maya smiling widely at the sight of the cross-legged boy's hair waving in a wind he alone could feel, an ethereal white mist slowly taking shape in his open hands, slowly, inexorably taking the shape of the wooden sword he had practiced with that day, aware of what Harry was doing, of what was being asked of him.

Finally, the shape was there, and slowly, the colors started to fill in, the texture was set, and the sword appeared fully. With a final gasp, Harry tore his eyes open, grabbing the handle with one hand, and preparing to jump to his feet.

"That's enough, Harry. You pulled it to you," Ken said, appearing before him with a speed and swiftness that was far above anything he believed to be humanly possible. He startled, realizing the Flash Step techniques, and that he couldn't believe he forgot about them.

He nodded. "Yes, Sensei," he said, panting. "I did it…" He shook his head. "I can't believe I was going to go forward."

Ken smiled slightly. "It is the subconscious urge to move forward, Harry. You know what to do, and completing this, the first step, urged you further." She put a hand on his shoulder. "But that doesn't matter now, Harry. I was here to stop you. Congratulations."

He nodded, and allowed himself to fall to the ground. "Thanks, Sensei. But man! That was hard work!"

Maya sat down next to him, and held out a cup of water. Even though Harry was aware they were still in his mindscape, and that no food or drink consumed here would actually _help_ him, he took the cup and drained it, smiling gratefully at her.

"I would think so, Harry," Ken said ruefully. "This first step is one of the most difficult things a swordsman can take." She held out one hand, offering to help him up. He took the invitation, and found himself pulled to his feet.

"Now, you're pretty much exhausted, so we'll end your training here tonight. But, seeing how you did such a marvelous job, allow me to demonstrate some more techniques to you."

Harry smiled widely, nodding eagerly. Every time Ken demonstrated something, he couldn't wait to start working on the same techniques himself! Ken's right hand slipped down, and curled around the handle of her sword. She pulled it slowly, almost ritually.

Magic tugged at her clothing and made her hair float and wave as the sword slowly cleared the scabbard. Ken's stance altered, her feet spread further apart. The blade of her sword started glowing white and blue, matching the suddenly glow Harry saw reflected in his teacher's eyes. She spun around, flashing the blade up and down.

A burst of magic leapt from her weapon, digging into the ground as it sped forward, finally dying down when it was almost out of Harry's sight. Without a Whomping Willow or a forbidden Forest, Ken's attacks had nothing to stop them, and Harry silently vowed to get his mindscape back up and running as soon as he had some more power to spare… right now, it took all he had just to remain standing.

"Wow," he muttered. "What incredible power, Ken-Sensei."

Ken sheathed her sword in the same slow, deliberate movements she had used when drawing it. "The Sword Arts are a manner of focusing magic along the blade, making it unbreakable, as long as your magic can hold out, as well as turning it into a ranged weapon." She looked at him. "Are you ready for a lesson in combat techniques?"

Harry chuckled slightly. "Always… although I don't know how much training I can take. I'm pretty wiped."

"I was thinking, theory, not practice. I wanted to show you what happened, how I became injured," Ken said.

Harry's mouth opened slightly, and an eager gleam showed in his eyes. "You… you'll show me your fight?" he asked, hoping that he didn't come across s disrespectful. "That's the first time one of my teachers have offered to show me anything like that!" he exclaimed before she could give him an answer.

Ken shook her head. "Sit down, then, Harry. I'll show you what happened. And it's a teacher's purpose to pass on knowledge… it saddens me that your teachers seem more interested in keeping things from you instead of actually teaching you."

Harry sat down, not really knowing what to say. He had a lot of respect for some of his teachers, and it felt wrong to him to say bad things about them, and so he chose to remain quiet. Maya sat down next to him, an eager gleam in her eyes as well, although she was better at hiding it. She leaned closer to Harry.

"You will love this, Harry. Ken-Sensei is an incredible fighter."

Harry just nodded, chosing to remain quiet, eager to see what would happen next. Ken looked at her two students, and nodded. "Very well. First, Maya already knows this, but the reason I was out of contact with you, Harry, was because of a threat to our government. A threat to our Emperor, to be precise. It required my full attention, as well as the attention of my Guardian Corps, to be sure we caught every attack. A man, a Necromancer, was summoning evil spirits to do evil to our Emperor, and we needed to catch them all. Finally, the day that Maya contacted you, I found out his location, took half of the Guardian Corps, and went to challenge him."

Harry's Mindscape blackened, only to be slowly replaced by the first scene of the mental movie.

00000

When it was over, Harry sat there, stunned. Next to him, Maya sat, deep in thought.

"Ken-Sensei?"

"Yes, Harry?" she asked, accepting the fact that he had questions, yet was asking her permission before posing them. She appreciated the thought that he would try and spare her feelings… and she surely would have taken him up on the offer, had she felt badly about the attack in the first place.

"I have seen you do so many incredible things… yet, it seemed, somehow, as if you were holding back," he said, obviously struggling with the words, unable to get across what he wanted to say.

"He means you were slow, didn't use any of your big attack spells, and were barely holding your own against an enemy who was clearly inferior to you," Maya said, under no such qualms, and coming straight to the point.

Ken lifted an eyebrow, and then smiled slightly. "The house we were fighting in was a magical storage repository. Like a magical battery. It was refueling my opponent as we fought. At the same time, it was bringing incredible pressure down upon me, as I was an intruder. It took incredible force to fight off the effects, and had I not been who I was, I would have been destroyed. That is also the reason why my team was waiting outside. I am the first to admit that I did not think of the fact that he might have used western teleportation methods. A portkey… how… dishonorable."

The woman drew a breath, and shook her head. "Next time, I will be on the look-out for such things. That is also why I am sharing this with you. Learn from my mistakes. Do not repeat them."

"Why didn't you use the Flash Step more often, Sensei? You could have dodged all of his attacks! You could have appeared behind him, and stab him!" Maya said, very obviously not shy of poking holes in her teacher's performance. Harry found it strange… had he talked in this way to… let's say Professor McGonagall, his Transfiguration teacher… he would have been in for a week's worth of detentions.

On the other hand, Ken seemed fine, not bothered at all, and for all intents and purposes… _glad_ to be discussing what happened. "A house is a confined place, my young apprentice. Moving around, using the Flash Step, in a house, is incredibly difficult. And especially in a house that _fights_ you for every step you take."

"But… you're Sensei! Surely you can…"

Ken interrupted Maya. "I'm flattered that you think so highly of my skills, Maya, but even I have my limits. I made the tactical error of going to his house and challenging him on his own ground. But… in retrospect… it was still the honorable thing to do. And that man had to be stopped, as soon as was possible. Even if it had cost me my life, I still would have done the same thing. I could not run the risk of him trying again, and hurting the Emperor. It is my duty to protect, and protect him I shall."

Harry nodded, understanding where she came from. "I… understand, Sensei," he said, rather subdued. "I understand why you did it, why you went to his house, even though it put you at a severe disadvantage. And I understand why you would try and end it as soon as possible. If… if I had the strength… I would, too… go after Voldemort, I mean."

Maya stared at him with open mouth. Ken just nodded gravely. "I see you are beginning to understand the basics of courage, as well as of honor," she said, putting one hand on his shoulder. "It may not be the tactically wisest thing to do, but it eliminates the threat as soon as possible. And it protects those you love."

Harry nodded. "Nobody… nobody should be hurt for something that is my job… my duty…"

Ken smiled slightly, and nodded once more. "Exactly. Now, let us retire for the night. Tomorrow, I have to teach you long-distance teleportation spells, so you can make your way to your home in a more comfortable manner."

"I… I can't go back the way I came?" Harry asked.

Ken actually chuckled. Slightly, but still. "Unless you want to arrive home in the same state you arrived here, but this time without someone who can help you help, I think you might want to take a look at the long-range spells. They're not as fast as your method, so it might take a couple of hours to get home, hopping a couple thousand kilometers at a time, but they are a lot more comfortable."

Harry nodded, accepting her teachings and her explanations. Once again, he was glad that things were explained to him. It helped so much to understand the _why_ and not just the _what_ of a situation.

00000

Harry awoke, feeling the familiar sickness of a hard night's work in his mental landscape. After making his way to the bathroom, doing his usual business as well as holding his head in the stream of ice-cold water coming from the tap, he went downstairs to get some food. As this was a weekday, only Aunt Petunia was home, and she sat and watched as he consumed a vast quantity of food before slowly dragging himself back upstairs.

He reflected on the three days he had been back as he did so, the letters he wrote to his friends, their insistence upon visiting, his forced explanations. He was glad to see that Hermione had indeed found some decent literature on Occlumency, and that she and Ron were doing their best to learn it. It was nowhere near enough just yet, but the fact that they were making the effort pleased Harry to no end.

He had been forced to explain to them that he had joined his teacher, to help her out after she had been injured. He was glad he managed to convince his friends without giving away too many details, and he was pleasantly surprised when they told him that they had been running interference for him with the Headmaster, making sure that nobody knew that he had been gone. He was incredibly grateful to them for that fact, and promised to share the full story with them as soon as their Occlumency shields were up. Both Hermione and Ron were sure to hold him to that promise, and for once, Harry didn't hesitate the least in keeping it.

As he trudged back into his room, he stood at its exact center and closed his eyes, letting his senses reach out to the Seals embedded deep within the walls of his expanded room. Feeling them out, he let his senses spread, trailing the walls, feeling both the physical limitations and the magical expansion done upon them. It was a strange feeling… it was as if he were standing in the middle of where a wall should go, almost feeling it run through him, while at the same time comfortably aware that the wall was still far away.

After centering himself, his body slipped into a martial arts stance, and he slipped from form to form, gently doing the kata that he had been revising with Ken through the night. Well… the kata and other things. He never knew how much he still had to learn, and now that he was learning an entirely new area of magic, the Japanese style, he was convinced once and for all that he knew even less than he had thought.

_Power isn't about strength,_ he thought as he slipped through the kata with minimal effort, letting his body do the moving. _Power isn't about reserves, either. Power is about knowledge, about training. True, those with strength can get by on brute force. But those who are trained, they know how to turn a person's strength against them. They can turn __pluses_ _into minuses; they know how to take a person's biggest strength, and make it their biggest weakness._

Harry opened his eyes mid-kata. Something tapped his window. Loudly. He glanced at Hedwig first, the snowy owl still in her cage. The angry look in her eyes had dulled some these last couple of days, and Harry was still in deep groveling mode with her, trying to get her to forgive him after days of abandonment. No amount of explanations had placated her, and it looked as if time was the only thing that would heal the rift.

Harry gave his owl another apologetic look, and Hedwig pointedly looked away. He sighed, and looked at the window, trying to see who was tapping.

To his surprise, it wasn't a person. The tapping had been loud enough for it, and as his mind registered the creature on his sill, he knew that it, too, was big enough to make that kind of noise.

He opened the window, curious as to see whether his visitor would be able to wring itself through the hole.

It managed.

Harry took the two packages clamped into the Japanese eagle's talons, and offered it a steak he swiped from the refrigerator. The magnificent animal, unaccustomed to seeing its meat in this form, didn't know what it was at first, until the smell hit it.

As the animal ate, Harry looked at the two packages, addressed to him. He smiled slightly as he realized the addressing was in Japanese Kanji writing, and that he had read it without realizing it at first. Taking the letter that was attached to the longest of the two packages, he slipped it from the envelope and opened it.

Folded in Japanese fashion, vertically, the letter was written in Kanji as well. Harry's smile grew as he noticed the artistic perfection of Ken's calligraphy. Still without problems, he read his letter.

_Harry,_

_I never had the chance to properly thank you. _

_While you were here, we focused almost exclusively upon your training, the little time we had used to its maximum potential._

_Even so, before you even woke up, I had a gift commissioned, and it took until I wrote this letter for it to be finished._

_As you left, back to your ancestral lands, I couldn't help but feel proud. Even though you clearly did not wish to return, you did so. Even though you wanted to stay, you chose to follow the path your life had taken upon until this point. You are growing, Harry. You are beginning to understand. Now all we need to do is build up your knowledge and your technique… and that is something we can work on. The most difficult step you have already taken. I am proud to be your teacher._

_And yet again, I find myself discussing your training, rather than discussing the purpose of this letter._

_When I awoke, and I found that you had come, even in such a spectacular fashion, I felt gratitude towards you. And after being told the entire story, understanding the dangers you went through, I feel not just the gratitude, but the _

Harry frowned; something had obviously happened here. It was as if the ink on the next part of the letter was different somehow… he didn't even decipher the next character for a few moments, not before he realized that Ken had obviously been thinking hard at this point, and had stopped writing. She had turned back to it at a later time, maybe an hour, maybe two, but the special ink had changed during this time, and it showed in the letter. He blinked, and went back a column, reading the last sentence once again.

…_not just the gratitude, but the kind of love a teacher has for a student. You chose to ignore the danger to yourself, and chose to come to my rescue._

_Even though you had not yet seen me, or Maya, in the flesh, you cared enough to make a hazardous journey, and put yourself in deliberate risk to come and help me._

_Words fail me. Harry, all I can say is thank you, even though these words are insufficient. _

_Unfortunately, I was unable to say this to you in person. It took your absence and a stubborn apprentice to make this foolish woman realize the truths in her own heart._

_I wish you to know, Harry, that no matter where, if you ever need my help, I will provide it. _

_Please, for now, accept these two gifts, one of which I commissioned before you ever woke up, the second a gift that Maya said would please you just as much. And please, forgive a foolish woman's lack of words and inability to offer these words to you in person._

Harry wiped at his eyes. The letter had obviously come from the heart, and there never was any doubt in his mind. He hadn't been thanked before… he had never been thanked for saving someone. He sniffed, wiped at his eyes again. He finally took his handkerchief, dabbed at his eyes to clear out the tears, and blew his nose.

He looked at the two slender packages on his bed. The large eagle had finished eating by now, and was watching Harry like… well, like an eagle. He turned to look at it.

"Do you want to stay for a while, or do you want to go back now?" he asked the eagle, not coming too close to it, not knowing whether it was as domesticated as the owls he was used to receiving.

The eagle puffed up its chest, as if asking why it would want to stay, it wasn't as if it were tired. Harry smiled, and understood. He opened the window, and stepped back, allowing the eagle to leave the room, spread its wings, and fly off.

"An eagle," he whispered, before looking at his gifts. "All the way from Japan," he said, shaking his head. "Ken-Sensei, sometimes, you amaze me." He stepped back to his bed, sat down, and stared at the packages again.

Wrapped in beautiful paper, somehow surviving the trip unblemished, the packages lay there, totally innocent, shining in the sunlight. Somehow, he couldn't bring himself to open them just yet. Even though curiosity burned through him, he just sat there and stared at them for ten long minutes, trying to wrap his mind around the events that had brought him here.

Finally, he reached out, and took the longest package. Both were strange packages, one long and slender, the other shorter, but wider. Taking the long and slender one first, He carefully opened the wrapping paper, slowly revealing a long cardboard box.

He eased the lid off the box, and his breath hitched in his throat.

Taking an envelope out of the box, he looked at the item that remained behind. Slowly, he tore his gaze away, and opened the envelope. Again, there was a Japanese letter inside, written on the same rice-paper as his first, with the text a beautiful deep-black calligraphy.

_Harry,_

_This is a Japanese Wizard's staff. It is made from the wood of the Japanese Oak. _

_It has not yet been bonded, and as such, it does not have that which makes it a magical staff. For now, it remains a dead piece of wood._

_I trust that you know what to do with it, and how to make it magical. _

_I know you will treat it well… and I know that it will treat you well. _

_Ken_

Harry folded the letter and put it back in its envelope. Slowly, he took the staff out of the box, realizing that the inside of the box was pure foam, with the contours of the staff removed, creating a perfect inlay to keep the powerful and costly item safe and protected. The moment he stood up, the staff next to him, he realized that this staff, for now not yet bounded, had the potential to become an incredibly powerful magical item.

Exercising his magical senses, he closed his eyes and let his senses cover the staff. The wood was indeed Japanese oak. Not that he knew what Japanese oak felt like, but he knew now, trusting Ken on this one. It was long and slender, the bottom filed down to a tip while the top held a dragon's head carved out of the natural widening of the wood. His senses traced the grains of the wood… and he came to the stark realization that not a single grain was cut. Not a single knot existed within the wood, not a single imperfection marred the wood.

This was not just a staff, he realized. This was a staff made from perfect wood, a perfect conduit for channeling magical power.

He drew a breath, and looked up and down the staff with just his eyes, the brown tint of the wood glistening in the sunlight. Contrary to the wands he was accustomed to, Japanese staves did not require a magical core… that was the reason why they were staves and not wands… but they required a bonding ritual. And there were not many who could perform such a ceremony… it took considerable power.

He put the staff back in the box, put the letter on top, and closed it. This was a project for later.

He took the second gift, unable to hide his curiosity. After that magnificent staff, what more could Ken have in mind? Slowly, the wrapping became undone, revealing another cardboard box. This one was shorter, but a lot wider, than the box that housed the staff.

_A gift that Maya thought I would like,_ he thought as he wiggled the lid open.

His mouth fell open as far as it would go. This… this can't be…

_Harry,_

_I know how much you liked this one. Maya told me she caught you reaching for it… now, don't be angry at her, I already knew before she told you._

_And I will not take no for an answer. Yes, it belonged to a member of my family, but I am sure he would be honored if you would carry this._

_Ken_

_PS: I have added an inscription._

"Ken-Sensei," he whispered out loud, not realizing that she could not hear him. "This… I can't accept this," he whispered, staring at the box, with a foam cutout that supported the glorious and magnificent weapon perfectly.

Inside the box lay that beautiful red-and-gold katana that he had stared at each opportunity he had. He read the letter again. He looked at the sword. And then he read the letter, just one more time, to be completely sure.

Maya had told him not to touch a sword… but Ken had _given_ it to him, hadn't she? What did the rules say in these cases? _I am sure he would be honored if you would carry this,_ he repeated a phrase from the letter.

He drew a deep breath, and lifted the sword from the box. Nothing happened, and Harry let out his breath. _There is an inscription,_ he thought, not seeing one. _Where?_

He drew the blade from the scabbard, finally seeing the inscription, curving around the blade, just above the handle, and he had to chuckle. There was no way he could return the weapon now… not after that inscription had been put on it.

His finger traced it, and he whispered in English, "My name is Devastation, I belong to the One who Lives."

**End of Chapter**


	4. That summer's end

**Mahou** **mo Ken**

All rights to Harry Potter and its world, characters, and settings belong to JK Rowling. I don't own any of its characters, and I am not making any money off this.

**Chapter four – that summer's end**

Harry swallowed, and stared down at the floor of his bedroom. Once again, he had cleared the center, the black pentagram that he had burned into the floor now fully visible once more. His eyes trailed the names of the five elements, one by one, only now realizing that he had used the Kanji symbols instead of the English words.

_I sure did a job on the floor,_ he thought silently as he surveyed the damage. Upon his return, he had been forced to acknowledge just how much power he had wasted on his little joyride. Sure, it was a heck of a lot faster than the way Ken had shown him, but the downsides were downright scary, not to mention, hard to cover up. Even now, almost a week since his return and over a week and a half since the pentagram's creation, it refused to be covered up by any magical means. No matter how many _scourgify_ charms he used, no matter how many illusions or glamours he cast, the pentagram would always emerge after no more than five minutes.

He had finally purchased a rug to throw over the thing, which covered it up nicely as well.

The rug was rolled up against one wall at the moment. This was one time he was glad the pentagram was there. It would act as a focus in a way a chalk drawing could not, and it would allow him to do this a lot easier.

Knowing that what was to come would generate a tremendous amount of magical energy, he glanced at the concealment Seal that was still present around his room. Drawing two more concealment Seals, he threw them at the walls, making sure that nothing would get out and alert the Ministry.

Taking out his trusted piece of chalk, Harry then knelt down in the center of his pentagram, and drew a perfect circle around it. At the four positions of north, south, east, and west, he stuck Seals to the wooden floorboards. Upon the Seals, the Kanji sign for 'shield' was visible, glowing slightly in the midnight gloom.

Finally, inside the pentagram, he drew a square, labeling the four corners with the _internal_ elements. _Heart, mind, body, and soul_, Harry thought to himself.

Finally, he erected himself, and drew the staff from outside his drawing, careful not to disturb his artwork. Closing his eyes, he reached, and tapped the pentagram once; letting his magic flow like water the way Ken had shown him in his mindscape the previous night. Finally, all the pieces were ready.

The pentagram flashed, almost angrily, at the infusion of power, and Harry stood up, watching his drawing, following the spread of the angry light as it flowed from the pentagram to the inner square. Now that the room was illuminated by more than just the moon, the stars, and four faintly-glowing Shield-Seals, Harry noticed the spooky shadows, and had to smile faintly.

The smile vanished fast enough, as his mind focused on the task at hand. He was here to activate his staff, and bind it to him.

Closing his eyes to the outside world once more, he focused his magic. Simultaneously working from his mindscape and in reality was still something that took every bit of focus that he had.

As his body in the outside world started whispering, mindscape-Harry appeared in the Headmaster's office in Hogwarts castle, and started the task of focusing on bringing the physical staff to this mental realm.

If anybody were watching Harry at that moment, they would have seen him giving off a faint light, as energy started crackling along the shield-circle, racing around the enclosing, dying out and climbing, before dying out and climbing again. A tremor went through the ground, and it was a good thing it was midnight, or his aunt and uncle would have felt it. As it stood, they just rolled over in bed and slept on, unaware of the magic being wrought in the room just down the hall.

As physical-Harry continued to whisper, mindscape-Harry felt, rather than saw, the staff beginning to appear in front of him. Slowly, it took shape, a white mist that gradually took on the shape of the physical staff. Finally, it was complete, and mindscape-Harry opened his eyes, at the same time physical-Harry stopped his casting.

In the physical world, the staff was glowing faintly, the air shimmering with magical energy within the shield, both the pentagram and the square it contained pulsing with white light.

_The first stage bind is complete… now I need to activate it, then bind it to me permanently._ Harry drew a breath, both in the physical world and in mindscape. _Activate the staff by binding it to the elements._

In the mindscape, the scenery blurred and shifted, and Harry and his staff were standing in the green pastures surrounding Hogwarts Castle. For just a moment, he stared at the castle, still far from complete, but already, stronger than it once was. He would get there. Eventually.

He shook his head, clearing his mind, and focused on the task at hand. A representation of the artwork in the physical world appeared around him. The next part would take here, in his mind, in his heart, closer to that part of him where his energy resided. Letting the tip of the staff rest against the ground, he pointed the head of the staff towards the first external element on the pentagram.

"I stand before the Element of Fire, motivated and passionate, filled with determination. I implore thee… bless me and my faithful companion, now and into eternity."

The pentagram flashed a bright red, fire suddenly filling the drawing, swirling around Harry, not touching him… rather, judging him. He felt power and motivation burst through him, filling him with the determination to see this through. Finally, it flashed once more, and seemed to vanish into the staff. The dragon's head, silent, closed-mouthed, staring at the heavens, started to change. The sightless eyes, carved in dead wood, burst with red and gold fire, to be replaced by shining jewels, red-slit pupils over a golden background, almost alive in the intensity of their sightless stare.

Harry swallowed, turned, and pointed to the second element. "I stand before the Element of Water, my heart filled with emotion, aware of myself and others, ready to defend myself and to roll with the blows of life. I Implore thee… bless me and my faithful companion, now and into eternity."

The pentagram flashed blue, and the clearest waters Harry had ever seen spilled around him. Once again, he had the feeling that he was being judged, and once again, emotions burst through his heart. All of his emotions seemed heightened, and for a few seconds, he didn't know that he was at once laughing and crying, experiencing the dizzying heights and abysmal lows of human emotion. Finally, the water flashed, and seemed to withdraw into the staff.

The dragon's scales, carved out of dead wood, seemed to liquefy, before turning beautiful blue, reflecting the air and scenery around them, reflecting light in all the beautiful intensity of the rainbow.

Taking just a few seconds to collect himself, he turned, and pointed to the third element. His heart was thumping, and he was breathing harshly, and deeply. He was aware of how much energy he was expanding here, and shuddered. He did not want to fail here! "I stand before the Element of Earth, aware of myself and my limits, sure of the action I am taking. I implore thee… bless me and my faithful companion, now and into eternity."

Dust exploded around him, once again, not touching nor harming him, yet seemingly, judging him. He was aware of his physical limitations now, forced to concede that he could not have enough energy to complete this ritual, yet, at the same time, sure of the way he was going, and of what he was doing. The sand and dust flashed, and receded into the staff, the staff itself flashing, and the outer layer seemingly crumbling like dust and sand, revealing the wood underneath, hard as stone yet warm like wood. Harry closed his hand around the staff, feeling the warmth of the wood, coupled to the iron strength of metal and rock, the near-indestructible gift of the Element of Earth.

"I stand before the Element of Wind," Harry intoned, feeling his strength sap, making him gasp for breath in the middle of his speech. "I know what I want, yet I care not how I get there. I will do whatever I have to do, and will consider anything." He gasped again, panting for breath. "I implore thee… bless me and my faithful companion, now and into eternity."

Wind burst forth around him, forcing open his mind, making him consider the inconsiderable, and opening his heart to those who needed his compassion. He was of the wind as it burst round him, placing its judgment, before it, in turn, slowly receded into the staff. The top of the dragon's head, a small wooden fin that seemed to aid in aerodynamics, should the wooden dragon ever need it, wavered, and vanished, only to be replaced by the most beautiful piece of wind. Almost-transparent, barely warping the vision of those that looked through it as it moved back and forth, the piece of wind took the dragon's fin for itself.

Harry fell to one knee, exhausted beyond recognition. He still needed the last element, and he knew that he just did not have the energy to continue. With Gryffindor stubbornness, he forced himself to his legs, using his staff as leverage.

"I stand before the Heavenly Element of Void," Harry whispered, knowing this was the important part. This was where the magic would join the staff. He just wished he were sure that he had enough power left to complete his task. "I am creative, spontaneous, and inventive." He felt his energy sap, fell down to one knee. "I… implore thee… bless me and my faithful… companion… now and into… eternity."

Energy exploded around him, tugging at his robes, passing judgment. And this time… Harry just knew that he wasn't going to make the cut. His second knee joined the ground right next to the first one, holding onto his staff for dear life, feeling the Void turn against him, the very Element of Magic rejecting him.

Ken's voice spooked through his mind, her lesson on the elements dredged up from his memories. _Magic __is in everything, Harry. But Void allows you to use magic in different ways, it allows you to sense your surroundings when you're cut off from your senses, and it allows you to reach deep within yourself and draw upon strengths you did not know you had._

He grasped for his magic, knowing that he had exhausted too much of himself as it was, but still, trying. His mental fingers scraped rock-bottom, all his magic gone, nothing left. He hadn't progressed far enough with Ken's trainings, his reserves hadn't deepened enough… for just a fleeting moment, he allowed himself to despair.

But then, the strength he had felt while joined with the Element of Fire took over, and he reached, desperate for strength, _any_ sort of strength, each scrap of magic he could get his hands on.

Something blurred, and his focus seemed to shift. Time slowed to a crawl, and the searing pain of losing himself against the raging torrent of the Void vanished. He became aware of his surroundings… and Harry realized that, even though it was turning against him, he was still joined with the Element of Void… and for just a few moments more, he would be able to use the gifts that element entailed!

As his magical senses shifted, he felt something nearby. A source of power, of strength, of magical energy left untapped for hundreds of years. Mentally, he reached out, and grasped it.

The Ley Line, untapped and unused since the time of the druids, was filled to the brim with magical energy. It was fat and full of raw power, and the moment Harry tapped into the stored potential, he felt energy explode through his magical core. The Line was underused and overpowered, and Harry was untrained and had no idea what he was doing.

Together, that was a combination ripe for disaster. Vaguely, he was aware of his own body screaming. At the same time, a second part of himself noted that the Element of Void had judged him worthy, and was now receded into his staff. His screaming stopped, his vocal cords giving out under the strain, as his detached awareness witnessed the final transformation of his staff.

The upturned dragon's head opened its mouth widely, a shimmering crystal of pure magical energy appearing, clenched between the powerful jaws, pulsing with magical potential.

As the ritual completed, and the drain fell away, Harry felt the energy of the Ley Line beneath Surrey explode through his body, ready to tear him apart, his body unable to channel the energy correctly and the Line's gates, now opened, would not soon close on their own.

By pure, sheer reflex, Harry managed to release the Line, but then energy he had absorbed was still too much for him to handle… and the feeling was as if his body was tearing itself apart at the seams. He needed an outlet, and he needed it _now!_

Reaching out, he grabbed for his sword.

The next moment, an explosion followed as overcharged magic and improperly completed ritual combined into a devastating explosion that leveled Harry's mindscape.

00000

Harry slowly opened his eyes, finding himself on his back, in the middle of his room, lying crossed over the pentagram. The Shield Seals, the circle, and the square had fully vanished. Pain shot through his body, yet Harry was aware of only two things.

One. His right hand was holding onto his staff.

Two. His left hand was holding onto his sword.

Slowly, he sat upright, still holding on to the two items. He felt physically exhausted and spiritually drained. He blinked, trying to look at his wards, to try and make sure that the power surge hadn't alerted the ministry. He sunk back to the ground, too tired to even _look_ at magic. He closed his eyes. There was no owl tapping on his window… and he was sure that the Ministry would make sure that he were suitably woken up, should they detect him.

He sunk into a slumber, too tired to move to his bed, or even to release the two items in his hands. Suddenly, a voice startled him awake.

_Harry? Harry, are you alright? I _felt _you screaming!_ Maya's voice seemed right next to him, yet he knew that she was in Japan. Too tired to realize what he was doing, he thought back at her.

_Yeah, I'm alright…_ Suddenly, he did realize what he was doing. _Maya?_

_Can you go into mindscape? This talking is wearing me out. Less than I thought it would, but it's still exhausting._

_Yeah…_ Harry agreed, closing his eyes right where he lay on the ground, unable to even make it to the bed. He materialized in his mindscape, preparing for the worst.

His worst wasn't bad enough. Harry's mental representation sank to its knees on the desert-like landscape. Everywhere he looked, everything was gone… the trees, Hogwarts, the Whomping Willow, the lake, everything. All that remained was black sand, coating his mindscape in a cloak of blackness, the only true light appearing from a small, reddish sun hanging just over the horizon.

This was worse than when he first learned to use his Mindscape. Suddenly, Maya appeared right next to him, way faster than she had done two weeks earlier, when she came to warn him about Ken's injuries.

Harry looked up to where she was standing. She looked down to where he was sitting. "I… I didn't let you in," he whispered.

Maya stared in shock at him. "Harry… I _felt_ you screaming in pain, somehow. Then I find you, sitting in black sand where a mindscape used to be, and all you think of is the fact that I got here without you letting me in? Your shields are devastated, no doubt!"

Harry closed his eyes and focused. His opened his eyes a few seconds later. "My shields are fine, Maya-Senpai," he replied levelly. "I can feel them… they're intact. Strange as that might be, seeing how they were tied to Hogwarts, and it's now… gone."

Maya sighed, reigning in her curiosity, and sat down next to him. "Harry, your shields are autonomous processes, remember? You visualized them being tied to your Hogwarts representation, but they don't need it in order to survive."

Harry just nodded. "I'm glad for that, at least… but then… how did you get in here? I didn't let you through."

Maya stared at him, realizing what he meant for the first time. "Good question."

The boy sighed, and looked at his devastated landscape.

Maya shook her head. "We have more important things. What happened, Harry? Oh, and I don't think anybody else felt you the way I did… otherwise, I'm sure Ken-Sensei would be here as well."

Harry nodded once, accepting that last sentence. He sighed again. "Ken-Sensei… she got me a sword and a staff."

Maya smiled widely. "I _knew_ you would like that sword! You should be very honored, Harry… She gave you the sword from one of her ancestors!"

Harry nodded once again, still unable to speak much. He drew a deep breath, and turned his head to look at her. "Maya-Senpai… I did the binding ritual for the staff."

Maya's mouth sagged open. "_That_ is what did this?"

Harry nodded, dumbly. Maya shook her head. "I can't help you here… I don't know nearly enough. Sensei taught me how to do it, and nothing like this ever popped up. We'll need to talk to her."

Harry drew a deep breath, and nodded. "Can you ask her to come here? I don't think I have the strength left."

Maya smiled widely, and grabbed his shoulder, an incredibly personal move to make for a Japanese person. "Harry, I feel like I have known you all my life. It might be because of the thing we did, I don't know. But whatever it is, I'm glad it's here. If you need me, I'll be here." She winked at him, and smiled widely. "I'll get Ken-Sensei."

Harry nodded gratefully. "I feel like I know you, too, Senpai. And I'm glad it's here, too. It feels like… like I have a sister. Like I'm not alone."

Maya's smile softened. "I know," she whispered. "Ever since my parents… since my parents died, Sensei was my family…"

"But it wasn't the same," Harry took over. "I know. But now…"

"Now it's like we have a family," Maya said in a whisper, voice trembling emotionally. Both teens remained silent, in each other company, stared softly at each other.

"I'll go get Ken-Sensei," Maya finally whispered, after an undetermined amount of time had passed. Time they had both used to think about the change in the present situation.

It took only ten minutes before Harry felt a tug on his shields, and he allowed Ken inside. Maya materialized right next to him, right before he was able to open his shields for Ken.

"Good evening, Harry," Ken said, rather sarcastically. Harry shot her a rueful grin.

"Good evening, Sensei," he replied levelly. "Welcome to my hellish nightmare of a mindscape."

Ken glanced around, and nodded. "Accurate description. You were still healing after that last stunt you pulled. What did you do this time?" The look on her face was contrary to her stern words, and Harry could see her worry reflected in her eyes.

"I'm fine. Or… I will be," Harry replied, trying to ease the worry of his teacher. He had managed to do so with Maya… and both of them had come to some startling revelations about themselves because of it. He shook his head, yet glanced at Maya. She looked at him with a worried look as well.

"I tried to do the activation ritual for the staff," he told his two female companions. The sand underneath his feet shifted, a small wind sweeping up some grains, stinging wherever skin was exposed.

Ken nodded. "Maya told me as much. What element did you try to bind?"

Harry shrugged. "The Void," he answered.

Maya's mouth sagged slightly, her eyes growing wider. Ken grinned, her eyes shining softly. "You tried to bind the Void itself, huh? No wonder things went awry… the Void is the hardest element to bind."

Harry nodded. "Tell me about it," he grunted. "I could bind the other four without problems, but the Void was just too much for me."

Maya snorted, and finally started laughing. Ken just shook her head in obvious amusement.

"Harry, you didn't try to bind _all five_ elements, did you?" his teacher asked, a slightly crazed look on her face.

Harry just nodded, unable to say anything else. What was he supposed to say?

"Harry, you bind _one_ element! Some can bind two or three, but those are rare!" Ken said, her voice shaking. Whether it was laughter or anger, Harry didn't know, and he didn't _want_ to know. He preferred it was laughter, so he would delude himself that it was.

"I… eh… that instinctive knowledge you gave me, said nothing about one element, Sensei… I just knew how to bind the elements, so I bound them. I… eh… ran out of energy, though. But… eh…" he stammered as both Maya and Ken were stared at him oddly.

"Keep going, Harry. I'm not angry. Just curious. And surprised," Ken said, alleviating his fears, finally. He guessed his delusions weren't as good as they once were.

He drew a breath. "Anyway, I ran out of energy when trying to bind the Void. The other four accepted me, but the Void… the Void was so much stronger, it didn't accept me, and it started rejecting me. It felt like it was killing me."

"What do you mean, it felt like it was killing you?" Ken asked. "Usually, you ask an element to bind. It either accepts or rejects you. Plain and simple."

Harry shrugged. "I asked the elements to bind… one after another. They all accepted me, and bound to my staff. But when I got to the Void, it flashed through me, judging me, finding me not worthy, I guess, and it started to kill me. I don't know why, it's just what it felt like. I needed more power, energy, to keep going. And then… the Void gave me sight, I guess. Or it was myself, I don't know, it was just so confusing, a everything is jumbled together. Anyway… I saw power, and I reached for it. I guess it was a Ley Line… I read about them in school. The Druids used to tap them, but their knowledge was lost, and nobody's been able to tap the Lines in two thousand years."

Ken was staring at him with her mouth open, while Maya was still giggling madly. "And then…"

"Then I was accepted by the Void. But the Ley Line… well, the best I can describe it, is that it… was like overcharged. Like a battery, where you expect a certain voltage, but get something ten times more powerful. Maybe because it hadn't been used in so long. But anyway… I… I felt like the power from the Line was going to blow me to pieces. I disconnected, but I still had too much energy. I tried to do the Soul Bond with the sword, to try and use up the energy. Then… things exploded, and I woke up on the ground. That's when Maya contacted me."

Ken stared from one apprentice to the other. "I have too many things to question you about," she grunted. "You tried to Soul Bond with the sword while still overcharged from tapping a _Ley_ _Line_, and while barely out of an Elemental Binding ritual designed to make a staff into a magical weapon?"

Harry nodded.

Ken shook her head, while Maya sniggered again at their teacher's exasperation expression. "Did it work?" Maya asked.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know."

"Try," Ken instructed. "Pull your sword and your staff in here. If they are bound to you, you can pull them across with just a thought."

Harry looked at his hands, splaying his fingers as he did so. Halfway, he expected to be blasted to pieces… and to his immense surprise, a tingle spread through his arms and hands, two items seemingly teleporting into them.

His staff and his sword.

"I guess it worked," he stated superfluously, shocked to his core.

Ken shook her head ruefully, while Maya was laughing wildly. "I guess it did," his fellow apprentice said, still laughing.

"Can you activate your staff?" Ken asked Harry. "I'd like to see what a staff looks like, after it's been bound to all five elements."

Harry looked at her, not understanding. Granted, his staff looked once again like the staff she had gotten him, just the same way that it looked out _there_, when he had woken up, but he still didn't understand what she meant. Did she want him to bring it back to the state it was in when he had bound it?

"Like this," Ken said, summoning her staff to her. The two-meter tall black wood item ported to her without issues, and as her fingers curled around it, she gave a mental shove.

Suddenly, she was holding a column of pure fire, a column of red-gold energy that seemed to scare Harry to the depths of his soul. Unable to stop himself, he shuddered. Somewhere deep inside, he recognized the danger the item posed, and the fact that it would and could do very serious damage to him. He shuddered again.

"Maya?" Ken said, turning to look at her female apprentice. "Could you show Harry your staff?"

Maya nodded, summoning her meter-and-a-half cherry-wooden staff to her. A mental push later, she was holding a column of the purest, cleanest water Harry had ever seen. Immediately, he felt better, the water staff of-setting the fire that was still clenched in Ken's hand.

"What you need to do is focus on your staff, and tell it to reveal itself. It will show its true colors then… it will also be at its full power. Harry, revealing your staff to your enemies is done only when necessary. As you can see, it reveals all your secrets. It shows your full power level, and it shows your element. Don't give your enemy the advantage of that knowledge unless you are sure of the power that it brings."

Harry nodded, closed his eyes, and focused. Thinking to his staff, a notion he didn't find as ridiculous as he once would have found it, he told it to reveal itself.

A shudder went through the black desert that was Harry's desolate wasteland of a mindscape, right before his staff was engulfed in a brilliant column of light, which slowly receded as the staff's composition changed. Blue scales reflected off the carved dragon's head, brilliant red and gold shone in its eyes, the wood shone with hardness, and the wind formed fins around the head. And then… then the head opened, the Void creating its stone clenched in between the dragon's jaws.

"Incredible," Ken whispered, sounding slightly stunned. "I can feel the power from here, and you haven't even used it yet. Incredible."

Maya just kept grinning. At least she wasn't laughing anymore, and Harry shot her a smile. She gave him a thumbs-up in answer, her grin widening. Somehow, it felt so good to have someone he could share this incredible experience with. As much as he like Ken, she was still his teacher. But Maya… Maya was his sister now. They had adopted each other earlier, of that he was sure. Somehow, the connection felt deeper than he felt with anyone else… and that included the Weasleys, whom he had always treated as family, and who, in return, had treated _him_ as such.

"Now," Ken said, looking at the two of them, watching Harry smile genuinely at Maya, the girl returning with a wide smile and a thumbs up. "What happened with you two?"

"I don't know," Harry replied immediately. "All I know is that Maya-Senpai no longer needs my approval to come in here."

"And I could hear him in Japan when he was screaming," Maya added in, still finding time to stick out her tongue at Harry as he called her _Senpai_.

Ken was silent for a few seconds. "Nothing else? You two seem… closer." She smiled. "Are you hiding something from me?" Her smile remained, but her eyes narrowed as she looked at Maya. "You're not going to end up pregnant, won't you?"

Harry dropped his staff in shock, the item making a rumbling sound as it hit the mull, black sand, half-way disappearing into it. Maya just let out a squawk of indignation.

"Sensei!" she screamed.

"Just checking," Ken replied levelly.

Harry bent down, and picked up his staff. "It's not like that, Sensei," he whispered, unable to look anyone in the eye without blushing furiously; the thought alone made him incredibly uncomfortable.

"Yeah! Most definitely not!" Maya grunted out. She looked at Harry, who looked back when he felt her looking at him. It was as if a thought passed between them, although neither could define what it was.

"Then, what is it?" Ken asked, noting that something seemed to pass back and forth between them without as much as a single spoken word. This was getting more and more interesting.

"We know each other," Harry replied, the first to be able to find the words to describe what passed between them. "When we synchronized our magic, it was such a personal experience, we knew what the other knows. Both of us stayed away from the other's private thoughts, we had too much respect for each other to invade each other's privacy like that… but still…" He trailed off, not knowing how to express what he felt.

Maya nodded. "We got… glimpses," she said, looking at Ken. "Impressions. We _know_ each other. Like we're brother and sister."

Harry nodded. "We unofficially adopted each other, right before Maya-Senpai came to get you, Sensei."

Maya playfully stuck out her tongue at Harry, who returned the favor immediately. Both teens broke out laughing, and Ken's eyes glistened with suppressed laughter. "Well… I'm glad to see that both of you are getting along so well, and I am also pleased to see that you have found some connection with each other. I'm sorry it took such an event, but at least some good came out of it. I am aware of both of your painful pasts… it's way beyond time you found family of your own."

"Thank you, Sensei," both teens replied at the same time. A little startled, they looked at each other, and smiled.

"I don't think this connection between you will grow stronger than this. Although I am still curious as to how Maya was able to hear you while you were screaming," she said the latter to Harry.

The boy shrugged. "I don't know… all I know is that I was glad she was there when I woke up."

Maya smiled supportively at him. "Always. You're my _otooto_ now." (a/n : otooto: Japanese way of addressing for a younger brother)

Harry returned the smile. "And that goes for me too. If you ever need me, I will be there…_oneesan_." (a/n: oneesan: Japanese way of addressing an older sister.)

Ken shook her head. "You do know you're both the same age, right?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't mind Senpai calling me the younger brother."

Maya stuck out her tongue. Harry jerked his thumb at her, while still looking at Ken. "Although she does act like the younger sister on occasion."

Ken chuckled as both Harry and Maya burst out laughing, fully comfortable with teasing each other.

"Okay, Children," Ken said, effectively calming them. "Harry," she said, focusing her intense gaze upon him, making him realize that fun was over, and training was about to start again. "You have successfully drawn your sword to you, which tells us that you have managed to bind it to you. Could you draw it for us?"

Maya turned and looked at him while he looked down at his right hand, still holding on to the sheathed sword. He nodded, put his staff down, and grabbed the sheath with both hands, bringing it up level in front of his eyes, as if studying the weapon once again. Something definitely felt different about it, now that Harry thought about it.

His right hand shifted, clenching around the handle of the weapon now, fingers slowly curling until his hand was fully closed. He did not know why, but somehow he realized that this was another test he was supposed to pass, even though he had no idea what to expect.

He pulled.

The sword moved five centimeters, then seemed to be stuck. He pulled harder. Still soundlessly, another two centimeters slid out, before sticking again.

"How…?" he asked.

"Your sword is now a Soulbound Sword," Ken explained. "It is linked to you via your soul. Only you an draw it… but only if you are _you_. Harry, you must become at peace with yourself and your surroundings. Now you will also see why it was necessary to start you off with all those meditation lessons." She looked around. "Had your mindscape been built up the wy it once was, you would have been able to draw the sword completely."

Harry stared at her. "You mean… if this happens again, if I mess up and burn my mindscape… I won't be able to draw my sword anymore?"

"Harry, one thing you must realize. This is Soul Magic. This isn't magic that is lightly understood. It is not a simply matter of conjuring fire, or water, or drawing a Seal. It is not a matter of working or not working. This is magic pertaining to the matters of the soul. There are many variables you must consider, and it is never as simple as that. Now, there is a pretty big chance that, should you be threatened right now, you will grip that sword, and draw it completely."

Ken drew a breath. "Now, in the future, once you are able to draw the sword, while fully conscious of the fact, it will bind to you even closer. You will not want to leave it, and it will not want to leave you. Anyone who wants to touch it will feel its wrath… and that is why touching someone else's sword is a very bad idea. Touching a Soulbound is asking for punishment."

Harry nodded, digesting it all. He looked at the sword. "Somehow… when you explain it… it doesn't seem like a bad thing. A weapon that is yours, and yours alone, that nobody else can touch."

"Or even take from you," Ken supplemented. "A Soulbound is bound to your soul, as its name states. It will come to you when you call it, even through the densest of wards of the thickest of obscuring magic."

Harry's eyes went wide. Ken and Maya nodded.

The boy swallowed and went on. "Anyway… it seems like a very good thing. But then, I think of it in another way." He had become quite good at that, thinking of things differently. Ever since he talked to Dumbledore, Harry had begun to realize that thinking about things on his own, rather than accepting what everybody else was feeding him was a good thing. "But binding things to your soul… doesn't that, in itself, sound evil?"

Maya shrugged, not seemingly concerning about it. Ken looked thoughtfully at him. "I wanted to impart this knowledge upon you at a later date, when you had a chance to grow some more," his teacher said. "Harry, binding an item to your soul is not evil. You are merely extending your soul, making the sword an integral part of your body in a way, and making it _the_ integral part of your body in another. Your very soul will protect it, and as long as you life, your sword will be ever-sharp, and unbreakable. It is not evil. Nor is it good. It is Soul Magic, some would call it evil, some would call it good, but as with all magic, it is what you do with it that counts."

She sighed. "Soul Magic can, indeed, have very nefarious results. The darkest of those is called a Horcrux to your Western Mages. Basically, one would split one's soul, attach it to an inanimate object, and hide that object. It would guarantee that part of one's soul would survive one's death." She let out her breath, obviously not pleased with the subject matter. "I find it important that you know this, so I am telling you about it. Do _not_ use these techniques. Although immortality may look appealing, it is not all that it is made up to be."

Harry nodded vigorously. Maya clenched her fest, held it over her heart, and bowed slightly, renewing the oaths she took at various stages during her apprenticeship to Ken. Ken nodded once, and resumed. "One splits one's soul through a cold-blooded murder, then rips it out, places it in the object, and hides it. If one follows the laws of mathematical magic, if one were to split one's soul six times, creating seven pieces, one would become as near to immortal as one can be. The Horcruxes themselves are highly dangerous when disturbed, and can generate wounds that very few magics can heal. At best, the results may be a withered, decrepit existence. Of an appendage. At worst, death."

At one, Harry's thoughts flashed to Dumbledore's withered hand. "How… how do you know all this, Ken-Sensei? Isn't this Dark Magic?"

Ken's intense gaze bore down upon his eyes, and Harry shuddered involuntarily. The very power he could see brimming, just over the edges of her eyes, made him take a step back. Had he not been convinced he did not want to make an enemy out of Ken, he surely was convinced now. "Yes, Harry. It is Dark Magic. The Darkest. But, as with all things, one must know it in order to be able to overcome it. Know thy enemy, Harry. One day, you may be faced by an enemy who has used this in order to make himself nearly immortal, and then you must have intimate knowledge of these techniques in order to fight your opponent."

She shook her head. "As to why someone would want to go through this is beyond me. The results are an existence that is less than life. A half-life, a specter, a ghost of one's self, until one can regain a body."

Harry swallowed for the second time that night, thinking of the rebirth ritual of Voldemort. Dumbledore's blackened hand. Voldemort's rebirth ritual. It all made sense now…

He looked up at Ken, his green eyes intense with disturbing images. "Ken-Sensei."

Ken frowned, and waited patiently until he managed to work his thoughts out. It was obvious that Harry was struggling with something, and it seemed that it had something to do with her teachings here. She hoped that she hadn't shattered his mind… it was not for the weak of hard to know of the darkest magics in existence.

"I think," the boy whispered. "I think Voldemort used Horcruxes."

Maya's jaw fell open, as she stared at him with open mouth. Ken looked curiously at him. "How do you come to this conclusion?"

"I can show you, if you will let me," Harry said; sure of himself now. Ken dipped her head. Maya took a while longer to overcome her shock, then she grinned, and nodded as well. Her grin had no humor in it, though, and it looked like a grimace.

The scene around them vanished, and Harry replayed the memories of his meeting with Dumbledore, focusing the attention of his two guests to Dumbledore's blackened hand, just as Ken had explained the results of an improper destruction of a Horcrux to be. He then showed them the memory of Voldemort's rebirth ritual, the wretched existence he was before regaining a body. He thought about it, and showed them the memory of his first year as well, with the Voldemort-head stuck to the back of his then-teacher of Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor Quirrel.

As the memories ended, Harry was shaking. Reviewing them, even with Ken and Maya there, was an experience that had rattled him to the bone. Terror still ran over his spine, making him tremble.

Suddenly, a pair of warm arms appeared around him, chasing away most of the cold, and abating some of the terror he still felt. Slowly, he glanced to his side, seeing how Maya had drawn him into a warm hug. "I've got you, Harry," she whispered warmly.

He sagged, relaxing against her, basking in the warmth of close human contact. He wrapped his arms around her, and cried. She tightened her hug, holding him as the years of pent-up emotions finally found an outlet. As Harry shook, Maya looked at Ken with a dark expression on her face, and it did not take words to convey what she was thinking. Ken nodded, momentarily letting her own emotions shine through.

What had they done to this boy, that memories of such age would still affect him so? Did nobody ever take the time to help him through this? Was he just abandoned, making him repress these things in such a manner?

Maya tightened her hold on his body, as if trying to force her strength into him. "I'm here, Harry. I'll help you through this," she whispered, closing her eyes as she held the boy she recognized as her brother in all but blood. Inwardly, she made a second promise. _And if I ever find out who abandoned you like this, pray that they have a good explanation for this!_

Finally, Harry seemed to realize what he was doing, and he pulled away from her, his face flushed with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. Maya shook her head, while Ken merely looked with sympathy at the young man before her. He could only glance at her, unable to hide his own emotions. What would she think of him now?

Ken placed one hand on his shoulder. "Don't feel embarrassed, Harry. What happened to you was incredibly traumatic, and from the glimpses I got from before you shielded your mind, I don't think anybody ever bothered to help you to deal with them."

Harry just shook his head in answer. Maya's fists clenched, and her body trembled in fury. "Nobody helped you with this? Not even after that first time? You didn't look a day over nine!"

"Eleven," Harry whispered. "I was eleven."

"And _that_ was supposed to make it alright?" Maya snarled. She drew a deep breath, and when she lifted his head so he would look at her, instead of at the ground, all he saw was determination in her eyes. "Harry, you were forced to take a man's life. That it happened in itself was unforgivable, but that nobody helped you through it, that is criminal."

Ken's hand squeezed Harry's shoulder as he listened to Maya. "I will take my leave now… I think both of you will be more comfortable with each other, without me present." She smiled reassuringly at Harry. "Harry, you saved my life. If you ever need me, I will be there. And right now, I know that Maya will be better for you than I can be. You need someone that can relate to you emotionally… and right now, that is Maya."

Harry nodded at her, and Ken gave Maya an encouraging nod, before she vanished. Maya immediately grabbed hold of Harry, pulling the both of them to a sitting position on the black sandy ground, yet remained silent. Half a minute later, Harry looked at her, a question in his eyes.

Before he managed to ask his question, however, Maya smiled slightly. "I'm here to listen, _Oniisan_." (an: japanese way of addressing a brother of older age, Maya is basically calling Harry older than her now.)

He sighed. "I don't know where to begin."

"Just tell from the beginning… or whatever you feel comfortable enough to tell me." She bumped his arm with hers. "Nothing you tell me will ever leave here. You're my brother. Siblings trust each other, right?"

Harry sighed. He never had real siblings, even with the somewhat-honorary adoption within the Weasley family had he had a real family relationship. But, somehow, through all that had happened, he now had kin, a family, even if it was not by blood, than surely it was by magic.

His eyes opened wide, and he turned to her. "We share magic," he whispered. "We may not share blood, but we share magic."

Maya's eyes sparkled slightly, and her smile grew wide. "That took you long enough to figure out," she teased gently, glad to see him smile slightly in return. "And I hope you can trust me."

He nodded, drew a deep breath, and started talking.

Hours later, the two teens were still there, in the devastated mindscape, facing the dull, small, red sun in the distance, just over the horizon, talking and sharing secrets they had shared with nobody else.

And through it all, their bond grew.

00000

Harry awoke by four in the afternoon, ravenously hungry. As he stood up from the floor, he realized he had never made it to bed. His body ached all over, but thankfully the sickness he had come to associate with exhaustive training in mindscape was absent. In fact, he felt physically and magically tired, but mentally fit. He slowly made his way downstairs, angry at himself for panting when he finished the stairs.

After raiding the pantry, he returned to his room laden with enough food to feed five people for a week. After depositing his treasure, he locked his door, and laid into his meal.

An hour later, he was finally satiated, and closed his eyes to meditate. Appearing in his mindscape, he looked around the devastation, and shook his head sadly. Nothing remained of what he had built here, his mind reflecting the devastation he had wrought upon his body and his magic.

Sighing deeply once more, he focused and set to work.

The ground shimmered, slowly solidifying into solid earth instead of loose sand. Gradually, the air cleared, and the sun brightened in color. It took hours of work before Harry finally broke his trance, and came out of his meditation. The ground was blackened earth still, but it was fertile now, ready to receive life once again. The sun had brightened to its usually yellow shade, and the skies had brightened to an earthly blue color.

The sun was just about to go down, and Harry devoured the rest of the food he had brought with him five hours earlier. He closed his eyes, and slept.

The next morning, more or less the same things happened, only Harry woke up at round ten, feeling better than he had felt days before. But first things first, and Harry went to the bathroom, relieved himself, and then went downstairs. His stomach needed more energy to drive the engine that had become his body. Half an hour later, he had a small meditation session, in which grass was reintroduced to his mindscape, before he had a hearty lunch.

Deciding that too much of one thing would do him harm, he decided on taking the afternoon off from mindscape-reconstruction, and instead settled for a light kata-based workout. As his body flowed through the motions, Harry felt tightly knotted muscles finally relaxing as he continued the exercise.

At about two in the afternoon, he settled back in his bed after a nice shower, and picked up his book on meditation. As he continued to read the now familiar words, his free hand continued to feed fruit to his mouth, the fruit basked being right next to his bed.

His forehead frowned when the doorbell rang. When Aunt Petunia opened the door, he smiled when he recognized the voices. Shaking his head from left to right, he couldn't believe that he had just forgotten about their planned visit.

He marked his page, threw his apple core in the waste basket, and started eating a juice pear right before his two friends entered his room.

"Hey, guys!" he greeted them, taking another bite of his pear, grinning goofily when he felt the juice run down his chin.

"Hey, Harry," Hermione greeted, as always sitting down on the other end of the bed while Ron sat down on the only chair.

"Hello, mate," his best friend said. "So… what happened?"

"How are your Occlumency shields?" Harry returned the question.

"We're coming along," Hermione said. "Right now, I don't think we could keep the Headmaster out if he really wanted, but then again, who can? But, on the other hand, we'll definitely know when he does try, and I don't think there's a reason for him to try and break into our minds."

"I'm not thinking about the Headmaster that much," Harry said. "I'm more worried about Snape."

Ron shrugged, then nodded. Hermione frowned. "But we'd still know."

Harry nodded silently. Ken had given him a couple of lessons in Legilimency, the ability to read minds, but his trained had been focused elsewhere for the most part. "All I can do is try and break in," Harry said. "But I'm not very good at it, so I don't think it will be very representative."

Both his friends were silent, almost, seemingly, holding a conversation with their eyes. "Harry," Hermione finally said. "We both know how important this is for you… but please, you can't keep us in the dark like this."

Harry was silent, before sighing. "I know… believe me, I know. And now you know how I felt when you kept me in the dark."

Both Ron and Hermione had the good grace to look ashamed at that. "All I can say is that we're sorry, mate," Ron said, actually meaning it.

Harry nodded. "I know. But still… I don't want Dumbledore to know this. And his pet potions master worries me." He shook his head. "But you're right, you would know if someone were to try and break into your minds right now. I can feel it. So… I'll tell you."

And so Harry did. He told them about the person he met in his dreams, about how she was helping him, about the training he was getting, and so on. He kept Ken and Maya's names out of it, and he also omitted the relationship he now held with Maya. Both his friends were silent throughout his explanation; both were stunned at the extent Harry had grown since the start of his training.

"And that's why you keep eating," Hermione said, motioning to the now empty fruit bowl, and the waste basket filled with wrappers, crumbs, fruit cores, pits, and other leftovers from food.

Harry nodded. "Building mental infrastructure is incredible draining, and if I didn't limit myself to just a couple of hours in a session, I'd be half-dead when I woke up. And believe me, it is _not_ a good feeling."

Both Ron and Hermione just nodded, no other choice _but_ to believe him.

"Wouldn't you be able to teach us?" Hermione asked, her curiosity getting the better hand of her shock, finally.

Harry seemed to study them for a few moments. "I think I might be able to, but I'm still learning, myself. I think the hardest thing would be to teach you how to get to the mindscape. After that, I'm fairly certain I can teach you what you'd need to build shields and protections."

Ron didn't seem too sure that he wanted to learn, but Hermione was practically bouncing up and down on her spot on Harry's bed. Seeing his friend's enthusiasm, he felt he had little other choice but to go along with her… and really, Occlumency hadn't been as difficult as he had thought it would be, so how much harder could this whole mindscape thing be?

Harry shrugged. "Fine, but I'm limiting the both of you to half an hour, and no more. I was forced to lean, and I know the results. Last thing I want is for your parents, the Order, and Dumbledore to find out."

Ron nodded happily, glad that whatever these lessons would be, they'd be limited in time. And half an hour he could handle, he was sure of it. Hermione looked vaguely disappointed, but she saw the logic in Harry's statements, and decided to follow along with them.

"Okay," Harry said, pulling his legs up and crossing them. "Close your eyes, and focus on your breathing. We'll have to do this the hard way… I don't want to rip through your minds, obliterate your shields, and leave you entirely vulnerable to be able to do this the easy way. Most definitely because that would mean that _anybody_ could read your minds."

Both his friends nodded, closed their eyes, and started to focus on their breathing.

"Become the breath you take," Harry said. "Imagine that you are the air that comes in through your mouth, goes into your lungs, and comes out again. Feel your heartbeat as it thumps in your chest. Ignore all other sensations."

Hermione got the hang of it pretty quickly, but Ron took a little longer. But, by the end of the half-hour session, even he had managed. After all, imagining things wasn't that difficult, once he got the hang of it.

"Great works, guys," Harry said, grinning slightly. "We'll pick up tomorrow, I'm sure we can get you into your mindscapes by the end of the week. And then the fun starts." He finished with a small smile, and his friends smiled in return, glad to see that Harry was finally cheering up; he had seemed so very depressed at the start of the holiday.

After his friends left, and Harry was left alone in his bedroom once again, he wondered why he hadn't shown his friends his staff or his sword. And now that he thought about it, he hadn't _told_ them about the two items, either.

Reaching under his bed, he drew the staff into sight, his fingers clenching around the magically imbued wood. It felt _powerful_ in his hands, and he closed his eyes to let his mage senses take over. It was so perfectly in tune with his own magic that he could see his own heartbeat reflect in the way magic pulsed through the item, and a smile appeared on his face when he realized just what kind of magic he'd be able to work with this kind of staff at his side.

For the rest of the day, he practiced his magic using his staff, hiding underneath the reinforced magical camouflage of his concealment Seals, getting used to the increased power of his spells as he channeled them through the highly magical item.

At dinner, he once again ate more than his fair share, thankfully no longer attracting the attention of his family as he did so. Ignoring him had become a way of life for them, one they intended to keep in order to get the money Harry had promised them.

After dinner, he returned to the privacy of his bedroom, changed into his nightclothes even though it was only seven, and sat down on his bed. Crossing his legs, slipped into lotus position, it having become second nature to him after the long hours of practice. He closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. Almost immediately, his mind sealed itself off from the outside world, and he appeared in the desolation of his mindscape.

Looking sadly, he surveyed the mindscape around him. At least the sky was once again blue, the sun was once again yellow and of correct size, and there was earth on the ground. Knowing what he was to do, he focused on the ground, making grass sprout.

As the fertile earth took life, his mind focused on the next step needed to recreate his mindscape. All around him, life sprung from the soil, the Whomping Willow growing in the distance, the Forbidden Forest slowly sprouting to his left, and a depression that would one day be the lake formed.

Finally, all that was done, and Harry was aware that multiple hours had once again slipped by. As the depression deepened, finally gaining water, and as the Forbidden Forest grew, Harry focused on his mental Hogwarts. He wanted his castle, and he would have it.

A depression formed, and Harry knew he had made the basis for the foundations of the great castle. He sighed, and sat down on the grassy grounds. This would be the third time he built the castle, and once again, he knew more detail would be added to it, giving the structure new strength. And, he knew, that new strength would be added to his mental defenses and his physical abilities. Already, he was aware of increased strength and stamina, and he could contribute it to nothing else but this mental training and Ken's teachings.

He smiled, and looked to one side, Maya appearing directly where he was looking. A fraction of a second later, Ken knocked on his shields. He let her in with hardly a thought.

"Hey, Maya."

She smiled at the familiar way he greeted her. "Hey yourself, Harry," she replied, taking stock of his mindscape.

"Good evening, Harry," Ken greeted; her mental avatar materializing on Harry's other side.

"Good evening, Sensei," Harry replied formally.

"You're doing good work on your mindscape, I see," Ken said, surveying her surroundings in a rather similar way as Maya had been doing before.

Harry dipped his head. "I can feel it's getting stronger."

Ken smiled slightly. "Good. You should be… that means that you've learned more, once again." She dipped her head to him. "Why are you unarmed?"

Harry frowned, before realizing at once that both Maya and Ken had their swords strapped to their sides. He focused, drawing Devastation to him. "You should always have it with you, even if you can not draw it," Ken said. "A warrior without his weapon is merely ignorant. And considering your weapon is a Soul Bound, it would be like letting an armed bomb sitting around for anyone to find."

Harry swallowed, and nodded, not having looked at it like that before. "Remember, Harry, you might be able to draw your sword to you, but it still takes time. Time you may not have; having your weapon at your side at all times as the only way you will never go unarmed. A spell takes time, transporting your weapon takes time. Drawing your sword from its sheath takes less time than either of those… and ducking and rolling takes the least amount of time of all."

Harry nodded, understanding the lesson. It would be had to hit a target that was no longer there. "Good," Ken said, still in teaching mode, deadly serious. "Can you draw your sword yet?"

Harry closing his hand around the handle, his second hand holding the sheath. The weapon slid from the scabbard, but about halfway out, just where Harry thought that he'd be able to draw it, the weapon became stuck once again.

"Good, you're improving," Ken said. "But it's the last half that will be the most difficult… it's always easier to start a thing than it is to finish it."

Harry nodded, sheathing his sword as he did so. Ken nodded when she saw him put the sword at his hip, the sheath locking at a belt that had not been there previously. His teacher then looked both at him and at Maya, who had remained silent. As always, they could laugh and joke with each other, but when Ken was teaching, they focused and paid attention.

"Create training blades," Ken instructed, a wooden sword appearing in her outstretched hand. Both Maya and Harry nodded, the girl succeeding with a practiced flourish, while Harry took a little longer. He still managed, though, even if it took him fifteen seconds longer than she did.

"Copy me," their teacher said, striking a sword-pose. Obviously, this was nothing new to Maya, who copied the pose immediately. Harry tried to copy it, and found that the knowledge Ken downloaded into his subconscious guided him quite well, and he, too, copied the pose. Ken nodded in agreement, and started the kata. Maya followed immediately, and after a small hesitation, so did Harry.

Up the sword came, before taking a step forward, then bend down, horizontal slash, faster and faster the movements came until, to Harry, they looked and felt like a whirlwind of slashes, kicks, and steps. For fifteen long minutes, Ken kept up the relentless pace, Maya following without too much apparent effort. Harry, on the other hand, struggled to maintain the pace, feeling his lungs burning as they tried to feed oxygen to his starving muscles.

And he was in his mindscape, he did not need oxygen, nor did he have muscles, strictly speaking. The sword flashed and danced in his hand as his body copied the movements demonstrated by his teacher, his subconscious guiding him through the high-level dance of death, supplying him with the next step before his eyes realized what it was from seeing Ken.

Finally, they finished, and Ken nodded. "Good." She looked both of them over. Maya had a thin layer of sweat on her skin, and was breathing a little deeper than usual. Harry was sweating profusely, and his breathing was deep and fast.

"We still need to train more stamina into you, Harry," Ken said, levelly. "You've improved, but you're still not where you could, or should, be."

Harry nodded, understanding. "Now, show me how far you've come," Ken said, glancing at Maya as she said so. "Spar against Maya."

Immediately, his magic-sister seemed to get a wide grin on her face. At the same time, Harry looked as apprehensive as he felt. Brandishing the wooden sword in front of him, he waited for her to attack him.

He was not disappointed, as she aimed a downwards strike at his head, which he blocked easily by bringing up his sword. To his surprise, the force of her strike resounded through his body, and Harry let out a dry grunt as he blocked. Grinning, Maya followed up on her charge, and went for his side. He blocked the second strike as well, and dodged her third. Dodge backward, block, block, dodge, block, dodge, dodge, block. Harry kept dancing further and further backwards, her strikes so powerful they rattled his bones, draining his energy. Soon, he was in full retreat, and Ken called a stop to them.

"What is that pitiful excuse for a sparring match?" she demanded, actually sounding angry. All he could do was look at the ground, feeling miserable. He knew nothing he said would make things better. He had sucked at his sword-practice, and he knew it.

Ken drew a sharp breath. "Harry, you tried to block speed with strength. Of course you won't be able to hold that out. Learn to deflect, rather than block. If you must dodge, dodge _around_ the attack, and come up your opponent's unprotected side. Never let your opponent get you to run."

Harry nodded, glad that her anger had abated and that she was, once again, teaching him. He hated to disappoint her, more than anybody else in his life.

"Good," she said. "Vanish the swords. This time, fight with magic."

Maya grinned evilly now. Harry nodded. "I know I won't be able to beat you, _oneesan_."

Maya dipped her head. "This is a training session. I'll give you a full minute before I use any offensive spells." She held up three fingers. "But after that… three spells, and I have you."

Harry shot a look at Ken, who seemed to be contemplative about the development. Seeing how she wasn't going to stop them, Harry summoned his staff, and released it. He was not about let her get the better of his so easily, not in magic!

Jamming the tip of his staff toward her, he noticed that she had drawn her own staff, but had not released it. "Stupefy!" he shouted at her, the red flash of light slamming toward her. She merely twirled the head of her staff, and the spell spun around her, slamming into the ground. Momentarily stunned, Harry blinked three times before a grin look etched itself on his face, and he started slamming every curse and jinx he could think of her in her direction.

Including the Bat-Bogey Hex he had picked up from Ginny.

Nothing seemed to work, and Maya's right foot stayed right where it was, Harry noticed in a distant location of his attention. Using it as a pivot, she spun around it, changing the placement of her left foot to take the utmost advantage of where he cast his spells, so she had to displace them the absolutely minimum before they drilled into the ground or flashed up into the sky.

This infuriated him even more, especially when she started muttering under her breath as the one minute mark started to come near. "One minute," she stated calmly. Her staff jammed in his direction, and Harry barely managed to get a shield up before she snarled, "_kuzuryusen!"_

The nine flashes of energy tore into his shield, and for just a fraction of a second, Harry actually thought that it would hold.

It did not, but it took most of the damage, even if the resulting shockwave threw him back.

Her free hand was up immediately after. "Ways of Binding, number sixty-six! Six Rods Prison of Light!" Six thin, long, beams of light speared Harry through his rump, arms, and legs, pinning him in place on the ground.

As his staff appeared in his hand, and Harry worked feverishly on dismantling the Demon Magic equivalent of the body-bind curse, Maya focused her magic. Harry saw something implode before the head of her staff, and bit off a curse as he tried to work even faster on dismantling his prison of light.

"Rasengan!" she shouted, the finishing move flashing towards him, tearing up the ground as it moved, finally exploding as it hit the ground directly next to his head.

Ken walked over, dipping her head towards Maya in acknowledgement before dispelling the demon magic with a wave of her hand. "Why did you lose?" she asked Harry.

"Because power means nothing if you can not hit your opponent," he whispered, slowly moving up to his legs. "Great fight, Maya."

She smiled at him. "So did you… that was some serious firepower in those spells. It took a _lot_ of effort to bend them away."

Ken, however, wasn't about to let him off so easily. "That was one of your mistakes. However, it was not your biggest one. Which one _was_?"

Harry looked down at his feet, thinking about his fight. "I only used Western Magic."

Ken nodded. "That is another one of your mistakes. But still, it is not your biggest mistake. All of the mistakes you told me flow from your one, biggest, mistake."

"I forgot everything you taught me," Harry whispered, ashamed.

Ken sighed deeply. "Again, another symptom of your mistake," she said, ignoring the ashamed look on Harry's face. "What was your biggest mistake?"

Harry was silent, thinking. It took him only five more seconds… five seconds that showed him the root cause of every mistake he made in that battle. "I lost my temper."

Ken nodded. "Exactly. You lost your temper. Remember, Harry, emotions are a powerful weapon when using magic. They give strength where there was none before. However, be aware of your emotions, and do not let them blind you." She sighed. "It was my mistake as your teacher. I should have warned you, and I should not have pushed you against Maya so soon after your sword fight. What happened to you was only human."

She drew a new breath. "Or rather, it was normal, for a boy of your age. You are used to using your heart, not your head, and it is why you are where you are today. Most others would not have survived, yet your strong emotions, your _drive_, kept you alive. But now… now you are being trained, and you should learn to control your emotions."

Harry sighed. "I failed miserably," he whispered. "You spent so much time training me, and the first time I had a chance to use them in formal combat, I forget all about them." He swallowed, his body actually shaking. Would she abandon him now?

Ken seemed to read right through him, even with the shields he had up. She put one hand under his chin, and lifted his head to look at her. "Harry, you were in a stressful situation. You grabbed for things that were familiar, things you knew, and experienced. So yes, you grabbed for the western magic that is part of you for years. I do not hold it against you. You were sparring, and this is the reason we practice. Now, you will know, and remember."

Harry nodded fiercely. Ken smiled. "Good. Now, I want you to fight Maya again." She turned, and walked a couple of steps away, Harry no longer even noticing her tell-tale limp. "But this time, when you unleash your staff and broadcast your full strength, at least _use_ the power it offers you."

Harry looked at his staff, which had turned back to its normal state after his humiliating defeat. "I understand, Sensei."

"Good," his teacher said, turning back to look at the two.

Maya stepped back, allowing them both the space necessary for their practice combat. She shot him a worried glance.

"I'm fine, sis," he told her.

Her knowledge of English did not fail her, and she smiled slightly. "Then I will come after you, bro."

Harry dipped his head, reaching for his new knowledge, the knowledge of the Japanese magic, the training he had undergone for hours on end. He glanced up, and looked at Maya; his determination wavered. How could he hurt her?

"Ken-Sensei," he said, still looking at his magic-sister.

"Harry?"

"I don't want to hurt Maya," he said. "I know she's better than me, but even the untrained get lucky."

Ken smiled slightly, even if Harry was too focused on Maya to see it. "You're learning to think, Harry. Good. Now… the power of your spell is governed by _intent_."

Harry frowned, and looked at Ken. "Create me an apple," she said, still smiling slightly.

Harry shrugged, and created an apple and threw it to her. She caught it in her left hand, and pointed her right hand at it. "Kuzuryusen," she intoned. A magic flash later, the apple parted, neatly carved into bite-size parts.

She then grabbed her staff, and pointed it at the Whomping Willow. "Kuzuryusen!" The tree was reduced to firewood. "Now," she said, turning back to Harry. "The difference lies in your intent. At first, I wanted to cut the apple. Kuzuryusen is a cutting spell, remember? The second time, I wanted to reduce the Whomping Willow to blocks of wood, and it did that, too. _Intent_. That is why Maya's kuzuryusen did not harm you. She intended it to breach your shields, and catapult you back, _not_ carve you up like a roast. If that had been her intention, we would have been holding you wake."

Harry swallowed, and looked at Maya, who smiled slightly, worry in her eyes as to his reaction. He smiled at her. "Then I'm glad that wasn't her intention," he replied, taking his position.

Maya returned his smiled, and took her own position. "Lets do this," he whispered, brandishing his staff.

For the next fifteen minutes, they traded spells. Harry's consistently were run into the ground, while Maya's always seemed to hit and obliterate whatever shield he had up. "How does she…" he muttered under his breath when he was thrown once again.

Somehow, he sprung to his legs, avoiding her next spell, and firing off a spell of his own. She grounded it, and fired a return curse. He had been trying to do the same trick to her spells that she was using on his, but he always failed miserably, and ended up with a broken shield, and flat on his behind.

This time was no different, but he _had_ felt something. He threw his next spell, and watched as she twirled it into the ground before returning the favor. His eyes grew bigger. There was an extra _twist_ at the end of the movements of her staff!

As he tried to guide her spell, he found his magic, once again, slipping off. There was a _spin_ on her spells, making them harder to deflect!

Harry grunted as he ended up on the ground. "Okay," he whispered. "I give." He rolled over, and slowly crawled to his feet. "How do you do that? That twist? I can't deflect your spells!"

"That was a lot better," Ken said, walking over. "And I see you have finally found the next stage in your training. You are indeed, correct. Maya can deflect magic using her own. And as you tried it on hers, you found her spells spinning, making them harder to deflect. Magic arts are your next training." She put a hand on his shoulder. "And now you know that your training has not been in vain. Just keep your temper under control. Meditation should help."

Harry nodded gratefully at Ken.

00000

Harry was in his mindscape, a couple of weeks later. It was the last day he was here, at the Dursleys. Tomorrow, he would return to Hogwarts. Meditation had come hard for him today, his mind occupied by thoughts of Hogwarts, the school he had loved as a home for so long. But most of all, he had thought about the reactions of the others. Hermione had managed to make great progress with reaching her mindscape. She had not reached it yet, but she was getting near, Harry could tell. Ron was slower, but Harry was sure that he, too, would make it. Someday.

But most of all, he thought about the sword and the staff, about the amount of attention they would draw. The sword never left his side now, always tied to his hip. At night, the sword as on his bed, next to him, ready to be drawn within a moment's notice.

Not that he could, mind you. He was getting closer, now that his mental Hogwarts had been rebuilt, and he was adding in more details than ever before. He could draw about 85 percent of the blade now, before it got stuck and refused to budge.

Right now, he was sitting, cross-legged, in his mindscape, building on yet more mental Hogwarts.

He cursed, and his eyes opened. "It's just not working today. I'm too nervous," he grunted angrily, at once opening his eyes in the real world. "I'm getting better at controlling my emotions, but it's still not where it should be," he whispered to himself as he stood up, and walked to the center of his enlarged room. Once he was done here, he would disassemble his enlargement seals, and take down the concealment seals.

His room would return to its former size, and Harry would go back to Hogwarts. Where he would have to hide his new skills. He glanced at his sword. Well, most of them. He glanced automatically at his staff. _Some_ of them, anyway. He didn't want everybody to know what he was capable of.

As his body slipped through the kata, his mind calmed slightly, and he was able to enjoy the feeling of the movements, of his body and mind at one, and at peace. These last two months of training had shown in Harry's physique. He had developed muscles now, and he moved with a grace that was not part of him before. And yes, confidence. He moved confidently now, secure in the knowledge that he could take care of himself in ways he could have only dreamed about before.

As his kata continued, something slammed into him.

Like a mental push, blackness overwhelmed him, and Harry heard a voice, crying in his head. Vaguely, he was aware of reaching out with his right hand, tugging, pulling, to hear the crying voice better.

It was Maya; it was her voice he was hearing!

Harry's eyes were open, yet they did not see.

Magic strained within him, and as his arm was fully outstretched, reaching for the ceiling above him, something… _jumped_.

Suddenly, he was aware of sharing the presence of someone; someone in pain. At once, he reached out, 'hugging' the other presence in this odd mental realm where nothing seemed to make sense.

"Harry?"

"You were in pain, so I came," Harry said, not really feeling up to explaining something he did not understand himself.

"Ken-Sensei is training me," she whispered, her mental presence looking at his. "To know and understand the pain-curse, I believe you call it the Cruciatous Curse."

Harry felt himself grow rigid.

"It's part of my training, I need to know, so I can anticipate. I can't block it, nobody can, but at least, someone people are able to operate through the pain," Maya said, feeling him tighten his mental hug. "And now, I should go back to the real world… I think Ken-Sensei is about to have a heart attack. I passed out, and now I'm here, talking to you, instead of waking up." She giggled. "Regardless of the revival spells she casts on me."

Harry managed a weak chuckle, and released her. "When you need me…"

"I know. I do, too," she replied, smiling at him. He returned the smile genuinely now, and willed himself back to his body, hoping against all odd that it would work.

It did, and Harry woke up, on his back, in the middle of his room. It stank like magic in there again, and Harry cursed, not even wanting to contemplate what kind of accidental magic he had cast this time. At least it hadn't wrecked his mindscape.

He felt something jab through his mind, through a mental 'channel' he had not been aware of. It felt like anxiety. Without thinking about it, he sent reassurance back at it, not even knowing _how_ he did that. Surprise was echoed.

_Harry?_

Harry blinked.

_Maya?_

The surprise intensified, echoed by his own. At the same time, both teens echoed each other's thoughts.

_O-oh._ _What did we do NOW?_

**End of Chapter**


	5. Hogwarts

**Mahou** **mo Ken**

All rights to Harry Potter and its world, characters, and settings belong to JK Rowling. I don't own any of its characters, and I am not making any money off this.

**Chapter five – Hogwarts**

Harry watched his Uncle drive off with mixed feelings. On one side, he had just lost ten thousand pounds. On the other hand, this summer had been the best he could ever remember having at Privet Drive, and that fact alone made the money worthwhile. After all… it wasn't as if he couldn't afford it.

Looking down at his trolley, he winked at Hedwig, the big snowy owl blinking back at him as he did so. "Come on, Hedwig," he whispered. "Time to go back to Hogwarts."

Carefully, he started making his way through the mass of people in King's Cross station, looking at his left hip, sighing at the lack of a sword there. Somehow, he had managed to get Headmaster Dumbledore to agree to let him go to Diagon Alley to do his own shopping. The old man had first wanted to let Molly Weasley do his shopping _for_ him, and even though he liked her very much, the humiliation alone had made him object.

Thankfully, it was before his latest mishap, and he had been well rested at the time, and able to use his new words to convince Dumbledore to let him out and do his own shopping… even if it meant that he needed an escort.

Harry smiled at the thought. It was his all-time favorite Auror that had joined him, a cheerful metamorphmagus known as Tonks. He knew her first name, of course, but just like everybody he was too scared to use it where she could hear it. Well, everybody but Dumbledore, that is; the old man used her first name at every occasion, and merely smiled off her threats.

Convincing Tonks that someone holding his hand while shopping for new clothes was going to be hell on his reputation hadn't been hard. As such, he had been able to enter Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions without hassle, and in private, with Tonks merely standing guard outside the door.

After she had done a thorough sweep of the shop to make sure nobody was inside that would harm him, of course. Harry had smiled and nodded at the time. Tonks was thorough, even if she was a little clumsy. He rather liked her, and didn't mind her 'escorting' him. It felt almost like they were friends, and were merely doing some last-minute shopping. Almost.

Harry had arrived at the barrier, and he looked down at his left hip again. The sword was still in his room, ready to be summoned; he had made sure of that before he had torn down his room. With breaking heart, he had removed the Enlargement Seals, and the Concealment Seals, returning his room to the state it used to be. But before all that, he had hidden his sword and staff carefully, readying them to be summoned at a moment's notice. He hoped his wait would be over soon, he was feeling naked without a sword on his hip, and without a staff in his hands.

Even if it hadn't been more than a couple of days since he started bearing them, their presence was now sorely missed.

He needed to be dressed in his new robes before he could summon them. He smiled slightly. Madam Malkin was a genius, he knew, and he also knew he could count on her to keep things quiet. At least, keep quiet until the excrement hit the ventilator.

He pushed through the barrier, and arrived at platform nine and three-quarters. Momentarily, he stood still, and watched the mass of parents and Hogwarts students, talking, crying, saying good-byes, preparing to leave. He just stood there, achingly aware that, once again, he was here alone.

_No,_ a voice sounded in his head. _Not Alone, Harry. _A mental wave, almost like a hug, came over him, and Harry couldn't help but smile.

_Thanks, Maya._ His mental voice was more resonant that his bodily one, and the Japanese girl could hear just how much Harry meant it. A mental smile was returned to him.

_Are you sure you want to do this?_ she asked. _You know that you'll draw an awful lot of attention, even without meaning to. And they will not take kindly for it… I'm sure Sensei could arrange something. You could come over here. _

Harry pushed his trolley out of the way, and stood quietly in a corner. _I know, Maya. I know._ Part of him wanted nothing more than to take her up on her offer, leave Britain, and never return. On the other hand, he had friends here. He counted Ron and Hermione as his friends, and last year, Neville, Ginny, and Luna had been invaluable as well, and he had started to count on them as friends, too.

_I can't, Maya. Not yet…_

_I understand, Harry. But I am not going anywhere. If you need to talk to me, I'm there._

Harry smiled once again. _I know… and you know you can come to me as well, right? Even with the time difference. I don't care._

Maya returned a mental smile. _I know,_ the Japanese girl answered. They were silent for a few moments.

_You know,_ Maya said, _This_ _would have freaked me out before I met you. But somehow… I don't mind us being linked like this anymore._

Harry was silently nodding his head. _I know. You and Sensei have warped me. I wasn't capable of things like this_ _before I met you._ Maya laughed through their magical mind-link, and he returned it easily. He couldn't believe how easy it was to use the link they had formed just the night before. It was as if they were standing right next to each other, and using Legilimency on each other to read the other's minds.

He sighed. _I guess it's time I got on the train,_ he thought to Maya, and started walking again. He didn't want to be subjected to Molly Weasley's goodbyes, even if they were heartfelt. He knew it was childish of him, but for once, he would have liked to have his _own_ parents say goodbye, or someone who was here _for him_, and not for someone else _first_. He smiled slightly. In a way, he had gotten his wish, as Maya rode at the back of his mind, just as he rode at the back of hers.

And even though both now knew that it was so easy to look into each other's mind now, both refrained, trusting the other implicitly, to the point where it not even occurred to them to use the link to do anything other than talk to each other.

Aware as they were, though, they knew when the other was in pain, or feeling strong emotions, and it was Harry's thoughts that he brought Maya to come and talk to him. He was aware he had probably interrupted her in something, and he felt guilty about it. He would have to make sure of his thoughts and emotions. Pressure built in his mind. Maya was 'hugging' him again.

_Don't even think about that,_ she replied, having correctly guessed his emotional state. _You needed me, I could tell. _Her voice became softer. _You wanted someone there for you, and not for someone else, first, right?_

Harry didn't talk, afraid his voice would break. This first day always brought such mixed feelings… glad to be going back to Hogwarts, sad that he, once again, was just dropped off without anyone to be there just for him. No parents, no godparents, not even guardians.

Maya sent a mental smile at him, and retreated. _Remember, I will always be there for _you_, not for someone else,_ she stated resolutely.

_Thanks, Maya,_ he replied honestly, moving into the train, somehow making it without drawing attention to himself, even with his well-known looks. As he came upon a compartment that was empty, save for Luna, Harry smiled and pushed inside, smiling a greeting at the girl, who was once again reading the Quibbler, upside down.

He greeted Luna, and sat down as the girl looked up from her upside-down newspaper and smiled slightly at him.

"Good morning to you, too, Harry," she greeted. "Have you taken care to avoid the Gorlacks this summer?"

Harry smiled slightly, and glanced from Luna's trademarked radish earrings to her butterbeer-cap necklace. "Yes, I have, Luna. They can be nasty buggers." For a moment, Harry blinked. He had been meaning to just agree with her, and didn't really know where the last part of his statement had come from, but found that he rather liked it. Real or not, playing 'pretend' along brought a smile to his lips.

Luna seemed to study him, before a smile tugged at her own lips, right before her usual dreamy look came over her eyes. "Good. For a moment, I thought I should be worried if you had been replaced."

Harry blinked twice, trying to come up with a decent response, before smiling. "You don't need to worry about me, Luna. I'm still me. No Gorlack can replace me that easily."

"Oh, of course," Luna replied immediately. "I had forgotten about that," she said with so much honesty that Harry had to stop his chuckle. Maybe it was the result of his newly organized mind, or maybe it was his training with Ken and Maya, as well as the subsequent change in his outlook on life, but he found discussing these impossible matters with Luna to be quite enjoyable all of a sudden.

As the compartment door opened, Ron and Hermione entered, Harry glanced at him, at Ginny, and bent over to Luna in a conspiring manner. "Now them... I can see them being replaced by the Gorlacks."

Luna looked over the edge of her newspaper, glanced at Ron and Hermione, looked at Harry, and nodded.

Harry had to stop himself from laughing out loud as, for the next thirty minutes, Ron and Hermione had a difficult time convincing Luna that they had _not_ been replaced by Gorlacks, whatever they were. Every now and then, when the discussion seemed to sway in Ron and Hermione's favor, Harry would interject something. By the end of things, he was almost bursting by holding in his laughter, Ron was almost bright red, and Hermione was now hiding behind one of her books, refusing to take part in the discussion any longer.

The door opened as the train pulled out of London. "Here you guys are!" Neville said, pulling his trunk in behind him. "I was late, and couldn't find a compartment..."

"Neville! Pal!" Harry said, grinning widely, pulling the boy down on the seat next to him, simultaneously pointing at Ron and Hermione, who were still debating with Luna. "Do they look like they've been replaced by Gorlacks, or not?"

Neville fell down, and gave the only response he could to such a question. "Huh?"

Luna looked over. "Are you sure that he's not... oh, right." She looked at Harry. "I forgot again, didn't I?"

Harry nodded, and winked at Neville, who caught on, and grinned widely. "That's right, Luna. I'll never be replaced by... by..."

"Gorlacks," Harry said, grinning widely as Neville fought down his chuckle. Ron and Hermione turned even redder as Luna turned back on them. At that moment, Ron got up, and pulled Hermione with him.

"I think it's time we go to the Prefect's car," he grunted, hurriedly waving goodbye to Neville, shooting an angry glare at Harry, and pulling Hermione out the compartment.

Harry chuckled. "So, how was your summer, Neville?"

Neville chuckled slightly to himself. It was rare to see Harry laugh and enjoy himself like this, and he couldn't help but enjoy the moment. "It was pretty good, Harry. And yours obviously agreed with you."

Harry shrugged, and nodded. "After Sirius… well, I pulled my head together." He sighed, and glanced at the ground. Neville remained silent, understanding what must be going through Harry's head at that moment.

Harry sighed, visibly pulled himself together, and looked up. He looked at both Neville and Luna. "I must apologize, to the both of you. I was a horrible friend last year. I'm sorry."

Luna cocked her head at him, her usually dreamy complexion gone from her eyes. "It was understandable," she intoned casually. "No Gorlack could have done worse to you than what happened." There was an odd twinkle in her eyes, and Harry smiled slightly.

"Even so, it was inexcusable."

"Apology accepted, Harry," Neville said, grabbing hold of the other boy's shoulder and squeezing in support, something he couldn't have seen himself do to last year's Harry. "Like Luna said, it was understandable."

"Thanks," he whispered sincerely. "I pulled myself together over the summer, did a lot of extra work, and started to think, really think, about things, you know?" he said, looking from one to the other.

"I'm sure you had a lot to think about," Neville said, Luna returning to her newspaper. He sounded so honest that Harry couldn't help but nod. He sighed, and looked outside. The train had left London far behind by now, and he knew that the witch with the snack cart would be coming by in a little while.

"Maybe we should change," he said, slowly standing up, deciding that the time had come… at least; the time had come for these two friends to know something more about him, and about his summer. Neville shrugged, and Luna merely looked up dreamily, and shot him a small smile.

Harry went to change. Finding an empty compartment a little while away, he stepped inside, thought about locking it, decided against it, and stepped into his new robes.

Stripping down to his underclothes, Harry pulled out the first item, a pair of pants that were made out of the finest dragonhide, the item a dark purple that clung to his every curve. Then came the body part, and he slipped inside. The spells on the opening in the back activated upon his whispered word of closing, and the long-sleeved jacket closed up. At the same time, it locked to the pants, creating what seemed to be a single-piece bodysuit of dragonhide.

Next were a set of dragonhide cloves, soft to the touch, and he pulled them on. They, too, sealed to the bodysuit. The boots were last, and they sealed to the suit as well.

He had asked Madam Malkin for something that would allow him maximum freedom of movement, as well as providing a maximum of protection. An ample donation of Galleons had convinced the tailor to keep her mouth about his purchase, as well as the next.

He pulled out his 'robes'. Throwing them over the bodysuit, they sealed at the front with a second incantation, looking, for all intents and purposes, like ordinary robes. They differed only slightly from ordinary robes, and it would be a very attentive individual that could see the differences at a glance.

Harry sighed, spread his arms, and closed his eyes. He had practiced with this in his room, but this was the furthest he had tried this. He focused on his sword and his staff, and for a moment he was afraid that it wouldn't work.

Then, Devastation settled into his left hand, followed a few moments later by the comfortable weight of his staff settling into his right. Harry smiled. Now came the real test… would the robes work as advertised?

Pulling back his left arm, he grabbed for the middle of his robes with two freed fingers, pulling to the left. The item split obediently, billowing nicely as it was flung away from his left side, clearing a path for him to enter the sword into the belt of his pants. Pulling the robes closed, he found them sealing up again with a mere word, this time hiding both the bodysuit and the sword from view.

He thanked the heavens that he had grown a little taller, so that the sword could be vertical, next to his leg, without hindering him as he walked. As the handle stuck up, next to his side, nobody could see the weapon at his hip. The camouflaging spells on the uniform did its work.

He looked at his staff. It would be his new wand, his old one stored safely in a quick-draw holster on his left arm, sewn into the dragonhide. All he had to do was reach into his left sleeve with his right hand, and he could draw his wand, should it ever become necessary.

He unlocked the door, and stepped outside, his staff tapping the floor in rhythm with his strides, his confidence rising now that he was both armed and dangerous. A small smile tugged at his lips.

When he returned, Luna was already done changing, and was once again engrossed in the upside-down Quibbler. She glanced at him, looked back at her paper upon recognition of his face, then frowned slightly, and glanced back at him.

Her eyes slid up and down, and a small and dreamy smile appeared on her face. "I should wonder," she started, "whether you weren't replaced by Gorlacks after all."

He sat down next to her, resting his staff in the crook of his elbow and against his shoulder. "Nope, no replacements, but I have most definitely changed over the summer."

She nodded, just accepting his statement, and not asking any further questions. She turned back to her paper, and Harry leaned in. "I always see you reading this," he said, glancing at the upside-down newspaper. "And I just have to know, what's so interesting about it?"

She shrugged, and let him watch. As he tried to make heads or tails out of the paper, he realized that he was sitting quite close to her. Not that she seemed to mind… and truth be told, neither did he. He focused on the paper, and not the proximity of the girl, and tried to find out what was so interesting.

"Need a hand?" she asked, dreamily. "The most fun is figuring it out for yourself, though."

He grinned ruefully. "Right," he said, ignoring the fact that he was just about to ask for an explanation. Or a pointer in the right direction. He frowned as he focused on the paper. Trying to figure out what was written while the paper was upside-down couldn't be the point, could it?

Suddenly, he realized something, his eyes just flickering over the upside-down words. "Hey, some of these spell out really interesting things when you're reading them backwards."

Luna's face broke the biggest smile he had seen on her yet, and it didn't seem all that dreamy right about now. "Don't they?" she asked. "Father does it, just to amuse me."

Harry chuckled, settled himself better in the seat, and leaned in to read the paper. Luna held out one end, and he accepted it, the paper now officially in front of both of them… still sitting quite close.

The door opened, and Neville entered. He threw one look at Harry and Luna, who were both glancing at him over the edge of the upside-down Quibbler.

"Eh… I'm not interrupting, am I?" Neville asked, back to his nervous self. Harry and Luna shook their heads, and it was downright eerie how in sync they were.

"Just reading the paper, Nev," Harry said.

It was at that point that Neville saw the staff sticking out, and an odd look to Harry's robes, as if he had three legs… "Eh, Harry… what's with the staff? And the robes?"

Harry folded his edge of the paper away, and looked down, seeing that, even though his legs were bent as he sat, his sword had _not_, in fact, done the same, and it was now plainly visible. He grunted darkly, now he wouldn't be able to hide his sword under his robes while he was sitting.

Throwing open his robes, revealing the dark-colored dragonhide bodysuit underneath, he drew the sword out of his belt, and put it next to him on the seat. _There_, Harry thought. _Both out in the open._ He sighed. _Just like in every classroom or in the Great Hall. Everywhere where I have to sit._

"I learned a lot over the summer, Nev," Harry said, feeling his robes seal shut once more. "And I've changed."

Neville wasn't as easy as Luna was, and Harry was forced to explain a few of his new skills to Neville, swearing the other boy to secrecy, and urging him to learn Occlumency if he wanted to know more.

Ron and Hermione returned at one point, threw one look at the sword leaning against Harry, the staff resting in the crook of his arm, and the way he sat next to Luna, halfway trying to read the Quibbler, upside-down, with her.

Without a word, and with a small smile tugging at their lips, they sat down next to Neville on the opposite end, close together. Briefly, Harry wondered why he hadn't seen Malfoy yet. The blonde Slytherin had come in and annoyed him ever since his First Year, and Harry couldn't help but wonder where he was. Now that he had his staff, he could finally scare the living daylights out of his rival. But, much to his regret, Harry was forced to live without Malfoy's interruption this year.

Sooner than he wanted, the train pulled into Hogsmeade station, and they were forced to disembark for the last leg of their journey.

As they exited the train, the sight and sound of Harry and his staff tapping along drew the attention of every Hogwarts student he passed. Harry ignored them all, his newfound confidence shrugging off their attention, and inquiring looks. Deep in his mind, he was aware of barriers being erected, leveling off his emotions, enabling him to remain calm.

Somewhere from behind him came the voice he had missed on the train.

"Compensating for something, Potter?" Draco Malfoy asked from behind him. Harry smirked, and turned.

"Not all of us are as obsessed as you are, Malfoy," he returned calmly. The Slytherin chuckled.

"And I am not the one walking around with a small tree."

Harry glanced at his staff. "I've read over the summer that a staff is more difficult to use than a wand. So, I wanted to give Voldemort a fighting chance, and use a staff." As Malfoy went red, Harry went on, "Of course, that also means that I am giving an advantage to you and your goons as well… but you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs."

Harry chuckled, turned, and walked off with a chuckle at the sight of a bright-red angry and speechless Malfoy. Neville, Ron, and Hermione were laughing openly, while Luna merely glanced at Harry with a small smile on her lips. As they reached the carriages, they picked one. Without thinking about it, Harry held out his hand, helping Luna inside before lifting himself up after her.

Without him knowing, amid the mass of stares and whispers, one girl had a thoughtful look on her face, which had replaced the look of surprise she had held first. She shook her head, and vanished in the crowd. She'd need to talk to Harry, and find out.

Did he realize what he was carrying, and the significance of it?

As Harry entered the Great Hall for the start of term feast, he found himself confronted by the sight he had tried his very best to ignore for the last couple of hours. Ever since his plan of hiding his sword had fallen to pieces, he had tried to come up with a decent way to keep his sword hidden.

He had not been successful.

Sighing, he took three quick steps and hid in the shadows, behind a conventiently placed suit of armor. He drew a breath. _Here goes nothing, Potter. Are you a man, or are you a mouse?_

_There is nothing wrong with being a mouse on occassion,_ Maya returned easily, a cheeky smile audible in her voice.

_Listening in to my thoughts, Maya-Senpai?_ He asked, returning a mental grin.

_Only when you're practically shouting at yourself. It makes it pretty hard to ignore you, you know,_ she replied honestly.

_Sorry, didn't mean to disturb you,_ he answered honestly.

_No problem, Harry. Now... why would you be a man, or a mouse? _She asked.

_My plan of hiding my sword backfired. The cloack only hides it when I stand up. When I sit down, it looks... well, it shows._

He felt Maya nod to him through the mental connection they somehow shared. _I see._

_Now, I have but one choice. I can't let the sword out of my sight,_ he grunted. He noticed that the stream of students started to thin out. He had to get in there, soon. Drawing a breath, he said goodbye to Maya, and threw his robes open. Drawing his sword from his belt, he unhooked it, and pulled his robes closed. A single thought later had the dragonhide belt closed around his waist, and the sword tugged into it.

His right hand clenched around his staff, and he felt Maya riding with him, at the back of his mind. He smiled at her presence. _Won't Ken-Sensei miss you?_

_I'm meditating,_ she answered levelly.

He bit back a snort and walked into the Great Hall, his staff tapping in concert with his confident strides, thankful for the balancing presence of Maya at the back of his mind.

The talking in the Hall slowly died out as more and more students saw Harry and focused the attention of themselves and their friends on him. Everyone watched him as he walked, quiet and confident, his staff in his right hand, and his left hand unconsciously on the hilt of the sword on his hip.

He sat down in the spot kept for him by his friends, leaning his staff against him and drawing the sheathed sword from his belt in a practiced swoop as he sat down, the powerful weapon leaning against him on his other side.

The teachers present had seen him enter, most looking at him in shock, and the hated Professor Snape glaring spitefully at him. Harry ignored them, and looked at his friends. Most of them stared at him with a shocked smile, amazed at his audacity to walk in here, with weapons bared.

Slowly, the start of term feast picked up once more. Professor McGonagall, Harry's Head of House, glared at him as she brought in the first years and noticed the weapons at his side. After the Sorting was done, and the Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore had done his customary speech at the start of the year, along with the introduction of Professor Slughorn as Potions teacher and Snape's transferral to Defense of the Dark arts, the Feast started.

No sooner had they started eating, than Minerva McGonagall strode over to the Gryffindor table. "You are expected in the Headaster's Office after dinner, Mr. Potter," she bit out, rather angrily, and made her way back to the head table without another word.

Dinner progressed somewhat slowly for Harry's tastes, even though he still put away more food than half his house... combined.

After dinner, he stood up, and excused himself to go to the Headmaster's office. As he walked out of the Great Hall, someone stopped him.

"Cho?" Harry asked, shocked that she would still talk to him. The beautiful Ravenclaw was Head Girl this year, a year his superior. After the fiasco that was his one date with her last year, he was sure she would never want to talk to him again.

"Harry," she said on a low tone, glancing around. "Can we talk? Privately?"

"Can this wait, Cho?" he asked. "I really need to go see the Headmaster."

She seemed to straighten. "Just answer me one thing... do you know the significance of what you are carrying, or are you merely playing with my people's legacy?"

Harry swallowed, never having seen Cho like this before. He straightened out. "I am well aware of what I am carrying, Cho. I will not forgive such a slight on my honor again," he retorted coldly, somehow knowing this was the correct thing to say. She deflated, and nodded.

"Then yes, it will wait," she whispered, bowing. "When would you have time for me?" she asked, her entire posture and vocal timbre changing to one of submissiveness. Harry pondered her question, not understanding what the attitude change was all about. He had his guesses, but he could not be sure.

"How about tonight?" he asked. "At nine?"

She nodded gratefully, smiling up at him as she bowed, and vanished in the throng of students rushing past. Harry shook his head, and entered the fray as well. Somehow, he was given a wide berth, most students preferring to talk about him behind his back.

And Harry ignored them. Their comments meant nothing to him anymore, and he could not care less if he tried.

What he did care about was Cho's odd behavior, and his walk to the Headmaster's office was spent debating it with himself. He had felt Maya leave during the Feast, and he missed having her around. He could use her input in this... he was sure it was some sort of Far East thing he hadn't picked up through Ken's heavy tutoring.

He reached the office, and found himself stopped by the Stone Gargoyle guarding the stairs. He had no password, and thus could not enter.

"Acid Pops," McGonagall snapped from behind him, the Gargoyle instantly moving aside. "Come along, Potter."

Harry swallowed. McGonagall hardly ever called him by just his last name. He was in serious trouble; he only wished that he didn't know why. His shields strengthening in place, he calmed his raging nerves. Of course he knew why he was here, there was no reason to be nervous.

"Sit down," his Head of House grunted angrily, sitting down on an empty seat herself. Harry sat down in the only chair on the opposite side of the Headmaster's desk.

"I assume you know why you're here?" McGonagall asked.

He looked at her, and he could see that his calm behavior was making her even more angry. "I assume it is because of the items I have chosen to carry with me." He astonished even himself with his words. Was this the result of his shields blocking his emotions? Somehow, he had been able to use the big words with Dumbledore as well, when he had needed them.

"My dear boy," Dumbledore said. "A staff we could permit, but a sword is a weapon, and weapons are not permitted within Hogwarts."

Harry nodded. "I understand, but this is not just a weapon," he said, calm as ever.

"It is a sword, is it not?" McGonagall double-teamed him. He nodded. She stood up, and held out one hand. "Give it here, Potter."

"I don't think that is a good idea, Professor," Harry said. "You see..."

"Now, you see here, Potter. You are in violation of the rules of Hogwarts. We are within our rights to expel you. Do you understand? We could expel you for this! Now don't make it harder on yourself, and hand over the sword."

Harry stood up, and for the first time, he showed emotion. It was not fear, however. No, his green eyes shone with anger. "Nobody touches this sword, but me," he said, his voice tightly controlled, left hand curled closed around the sheath of his sword, directly beneath the cross-guard. As he had stood up, his staff had remained leaning against his chair, and Harry now glanced at it. Taking it wouldnow be seen as drawing his wand. He could not risk it.

"Give... me... the sword, Potter!" McGonagall said, one hand outstretched.

Harry closed his eyes. So they would not listen. Harry drew a breath. Very well. He hefted the sword up with his left hand, and spun it around, letting the end of it slap into his right hand, holding the sheathed weapon horizontally in front of him. "If you must, then take it. But remember that I warned you."

As McGonagall reached for it, a shout stopped her. "Do not touch that weapon, Minerva!"

McGonagall stared at Dumbledore. "Albus?"

Albus Dumbledore remained, watching Harry. "It took me this long to see... dear boy, what have you done?"

Harry turned his head slowly and looked at the Headmaster. "What I had to do."

"That weapon, Minerva, is a Soulbound. Had you touched it, it would have had nefarious consequences."

Harry nodded. "Yet you would not listen."

"Harry, please," Dumbledore said. "Show me one thing... can you draw the sword?"

Harry glanced at the Headmaster, and flipped the sword over. Somehow, he realized that he would be able to draw it here and now. It would be a draw of desperation, of will over matter. It would not be the First Draw, the Draw that would bind him to his weapon. He was not yet ready, but that did not mean that the weapon would abandon him here, should he need it.

His right hand curled around the handle. He closed his eyes.

And let out his breath. He lowered the sword. "No. A sword should be drawn only to shed blood. To draw a sword is to draw blood. I will not draw my sword unless the situation calls upon it."

McGonagall stared from one to the other, and back to the one. "Who are you, and what have you done to Harry Potter?" she asked.

Harry glanced at her. "I was forced to grow up. To learn. To mature. Yes, I bound a sword to me. It was not meant to be as such, but it happened. And now I can not leave it, nor can it leave me. And I will not draw unless necessary, as that is what it means to carry a blade."

Dumbledore nodded. "I am glad to see the lessons you took over the summer are blossoming within you, although I am saddened that you did not confide in me who it is that has taught you so wonderfully."

"They respect me and my privacy, and I will do the same for them," Harry returned evenly, feeling his shields maintain integrity. Somehow, he had expected Dumbledore to try Legilimency on him. Within seconds he realized that he had demonstrated his ability to shield himself over the summer. Dumbledore was brilliant, he would not have forgotten.

The Headmaster nodded. "You have shown maturity, Harry. I trust you will carry yourself in the school as you have carried yourself in this office... please return to your friends. I am sure they have lots of questions."

"Albus!"

Dumbledore nodded to him, and Harry left. The last thing he heard before the door to the office slipped shut was Dumbledore explaining the theory of a Soulbound to Minerva McGonagall. Somehow, knowing he performed magic that his Head of House had not yet heard of filled him with pride.

Casting a quick _tempus_, he checked the time, and realized that he had ample time to get to the library in time to meet Cho. Or, he could go back to the Common Room, gather his friends, try and get a message to Luna in the Ravenclaw Common Room, and _then_ go meet Cho. He was sure she had a lot of questions... questions his friends may not have asked, but sure would like to know the answers to.

He nodded to himself, and set out for the Common Room. They would still need to learn Occlumency before he would divulge any of his secrets. He did not trust Snape and his mind-reading abilities any more than he trusted Dumbledore. As he walked, he berated himself for letting the old man know about the sword. Now he knew that Harry had a Soulbound sword with him... he sighed, letting his anger at himself drain from his mind's shields.

At least the man knew about Soulbounds, and he was now allowed to carry it out in the open. Still tapping his staff on the ground as he walked, he grinned at himself. It was actually fun to walk with this thing. Now he knew why a lot of trekkers used a walking stick. Having something else touch the ground added to the sense of balance.

Plus, all he would need to do was lift it off the ground, and it would not make any more sound than a wand would. He entered the Common Room, and left barely five minutes later with a group of people around him. Ron and Hermione he had pulled away from their Prefect duties, Ron a lot more willing than Hermione. The promise of more questions answered solved her dilemma quite easily.

Neville came along willingly, still impressed with some of the stuff Harry had told him during the train ride. A lot of other people had wanted to come and ask questions. Harry's entrance in the Great Hall was not inconscpicious and a lot of people wanted to know. Harry had ignored them all. He had made a small exception for Ginny, Ron's younger sister. He had saved her from a Basilisk when he was in his second year. It had been her first year.

He didn't say much, and the group fell quiet soon after, realizing they weren't going to get any answers out of Harry when he was all introspective. His eyes literally were focused on infinity, and it would be doubtful that he could see where he was going.

He thought more and more about how this year was going to be. He was doing a lot of that recently, he realized... he never was a thinker, that was more Hermione's job. But after Sirius' death, and after meeting Ken and getting the first decent education he had gotten since he started magic school, he had changed. He had changed big time.

As the group halted in front of the Ravenclaw Common Room, without a password, the group realized one thing.

How would they get a message to Luna?

As luck would have it, the door opened, and a young Ravenclaw was coming out. They boy stopped as he realized he was facing a whole bunch of Gryffindor upperclassmen, and stood there, gaping at them like a fish out of water.

Especially as _the_ Harry Potter was standing at the front of the group, sword on hip and staff in hand. "Hi," Harry said, in what he hoped was his most disarming tone. "Could you get a message to Luna Lovegood? Can you ask her to come out here? We need to speak with her."

The second year nodded dumbly, turned, and vanished back inside.

Barely five minutes later, the door opened again, and Luna came out, a dreamy look on her face. "Hello," she said airily, looking at each in turn. "Harry, Ronald, Neville, Ginevra, Hermione."

"Hello Luna," Harry greeted right back, grinning. "We're about to meet with Cho in the library. She seems like she has a lot of questions, and figured something out about me from just looking at my staff and my sword."

Luna seemed to appraise him. "Of course," he added, "if you're too busy warding against Gorlacks, I can understand."

She shrugged. "I've done my warding at the end of last year," she answered with brutal honesty. "All it took was some maintenance." Hermione was almost bursting, Ron was goggling, Neville was smiling, just playing along, and Ginny was laughing at the expressions on the faces of Ron and Hermione.

"Great!" Harry said, grinning. "Then you'll come with us?"

Luna nodded dreamily, and joined the group in their walk to the library. For a brief moment, Harry wondered how Madam Pince, the Librarian, would react to seeing such a large group of people enter her domain. He ingored the question, the library was a meeting place, and it was doubtful that they would be staying. Judging from Cho's reaction, there might be shouting this evening. He hoped that he had at least alayed her fears that he was doing it as an insult of some kind.

They arrived at the library, and Harry quickly located Cho, who was doing her very best to look inconspicuous, sitting by herself and reading a large book. As Harry sat down, and everyone else grabbed extra chairs, she looked up from her book.

He said nothing, merely sat there and looked at the pretty Asian girl. Finally, she bowed her head. "Thank you for coming," she whispered. It was still a library, after all.

Harry dipped his head. "You had me curious... but maybe we shouldn't be having this conversation here. How about we go and find ourselves an empty classroom?"

She shrugged. "Whatever you want to do, Harry," she answered honestly, and it sounded very different from the usually confident Cho Chang, Head Girl, Quidditch Player, and Ravenclaw Top Student.

He nodded, and stood up, shooting a strange glance at her, reflecting the confusion he felt at her subservience. The rest of the group stared as well, and followed Harry out of the library. The first empty classroom they came across, they entered.

Regardless of the curiosity everybody felt, nobody said a word, neither to Harry or to Cho, both lost in thoughts. As soon as they entered the empty room, Harry closed it and threw a locked charm at it.

"So, Cho," Harry said, sitting down in one of the empty seats; the others arranging themselves neatly around him. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Cho Chang swallowed, and nodded, still looking at the ground. "You obviously know the importance and the meaning of what you carry," she said, still in a near-whisper. "But... did you really..." she looked up.

Harry thought for a few moments about what she meant before nodding, understanding what she was asking. "Yes."

Cho finally sat down. "Wow," she whispered.

"Ehm... for those of us who have no idea what you're talking about... _what?_" Ron asked.

"He's an Apprentice," Cho snapped at him. She then looked back at Harry and her face softened, before glancing down at the desk she was sitting behind. "It means that Harry was accepted by a Master. It is the traditional method of learning in most far-eastern countries and societies. My mother and father tried to place me with a master... but I was not accepted by the Chinese masters. I live in Britain, I was raised in Western Society. I was rejected." she swallowed, obviously against a lump that had formed in her throat.

"I'm sorry, Cho," Harry said, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "I didn't want to bring up bad memories."

She shook her head. "You were accepted, Harry. You should show your status. You shouldn't concern yourself with my pitiful emotions." She looked up at him. "Can I... can I see your sword?" she asked.

Harry frowned at first, but he realized that her hands were still on the desk. She was not asking to touch it... she was asking precisely what she had said, to see it. His left hand lifted his sword out of his belt, scabbard and all.

"Hey now! You won't let anybody else see it!" Ron said.

"You wanted to touch it," Harry said, shrugging. "Nobody touches my sword but me." Cho, meanwhile, stared at the weapon.

"A Katana," she whispered. She glanced up at Harry's face. "You were accepted by a Japanese master?"

Harry nodded. "C-can I know?" she asked timidly.

The boy sighed. He wanted to keep the privacy of his teacher. But this was Cho. She knew of what he was, of what he had become. "Mahou mo Ken," he finally said.

The Asian girl paled, and her mouth opened and closed a few times. "You were accepted by Mahou mo Ken-sama?" (a/n: -sama is a Japanese suffix, attached to a name to indicate great respect. It would be like calling someone 'lord' or 'lady' in English, although it is not just used for nobility. The suffix is used for anyone a certain person feels is worthy of great respect)

Harry nodded. "I won't tell much more than that... you obviously know her, but I will not disclose anything that will go against the privacy of my Sensei."

Cho nodded. "U-understood," she whispered.

Now it was Hermione who burst in. "Hey now! You haven't told us her name! And who is this Mahou mo Ken? Why is she so important? Judging from Cho's reaction, she isn't just any person."

Cho glanced at Harry, then frowned harshly at Hermione. "Harry has asked to respect the privacy of his teacher, and I will do so," she replied, somewhat harsher than her usual voice. "However, I will say this. Mahou mo Ken is to Asian culture who Albus Dumbledore is to you Westerners." She glanced at Harry, and saw that he was calm, not angry at her words as she had feared. "If you want to know more about her, you won't find out from me. Harry's wishes have to be respected."

"Why are you so doting on Harry all of a sudden?" Ron asked. "Last year, you couldn't get rid of him fast enough, and now you follow his every word!"

Cho shot him a glare. "This isn't about personal likes or dislikes," she said, somewhat coldly. "Harry is an Apprentice. He will be a Master some day. He's our better, we should listen to his words."

"Hey now," Harry said. "I'm nobody's better! I'm still just Harry Potter!"

"Forgive me, but you are not _just_ Harry Potter," Cho interrupted, as respectfully as she could without raising her voice. "Your actions reflect on your teacher, and your teacher reflects down upon you. One should treat you as one would treat your master. To dishonor you is to bring dishonor on your teacher." She swallowed. "And to bring dishonor on your teacher, Harry, is something most people would not even contemplate."

Harry shrugged. "Just treat me as you would treat me normally," he said. "That's all I want."

Cho swallowed, and glanced at his face once more, and smiled slightly. "Thank you, Harry."

Ron grunted under his breath, but it was Hermione who asked the next question. "From what you said, you weren't raised like that... why are you still following Eastern philosophy?"

"I would have loved to be an Apprentice," Cho said. "To be raised by a teacher, to be taught by a teacher, to live and breathe and learn as the teacher does. To be accepted into the teacher's family, it is one of the greatest honors that one could have in Eastern culture. The number of true masters is limited, and so is the number of apprentices. Most teachers take only one Apprentice at a time, and train three, maybe four Apprentices in their lifetime."

She looked at Harry. "Didn't Mahou mo Ken-sama already have an Apprentice?"

Harry dipped his head. "I am her second Apprentice."

Cho shook her head, and smiled. "You are so lucky, Harry."

"Another question, Cho," Hermione said, curiosity still not abated. "You said your parents are Chinese, and you were raised with Chinese traditions... then how come you know Harry's Japanese teacher?"

Cho smiled slightly. "Eastern wizards didn't let pesky geographical borders stop them. They pulled together. Languages may differ, but after what happened in recent history, we learned that there was more uniting us then there were muggle barriers dividing us."

"I see you're also using that word," Harry said, sounding sad.

Cho looked at him, and her mouth sagged open. "I'm sorry, Harry. After years in western society, I forgot." she sighed. "The things that unite Eastern wizards are greater than the non-magical barriers that divide us. We leave the non-magical governments and economical situations out of things, and we get along just fine. After the second world war, we had no other choice."

"Maybe we should do that over here as well," Harry grunted under his breath. "Instead of fighting each other, help each other. The way Ken-Sensei did," he said.

"We should," Cho agreed immediately. "Harry," she said, turning back to him with a question in her eyes. "What exactly are you learning? I know so little of Eastern magics, just that they are so different from Western ones." She sighed then. "My parents wouldn't teach me... without a master, they said, I wouldn't be able to learn them the way they were meant to be learned."

Harry nodded. "They are vastly different," he said, then let out his breath. "But I can't talk about them to you..." As he saw her face fall, he pressed. "Come to the next DA meeting. I'll start teaching everyone, who still wants to be in it, Occlumency. I won't explain anything to a person who doesn't have Occlumency shields. There are too many people about who will read my secrets from your minds."

Cho swallowed, and nodded. "If I learn Occlumency, you will teach me?"

"I will teach everybody who wants to know," he promised. "But only after they have protected their minds."

"I think I can accept that," Cho said, standing up. The rest got up as well; it was getting rather late, and they should be going back to their Common Rooms. For the rest of the evening, Harry spoke hardly a word, lost in thoughts and in a world of his own.

His friends left him, knowing that a lot was going on in his mind, and Harry turned in early.

Instead of going to sleep, however, he closed the drapes around his four-poster bed, and sat down, cross-legged, on top of the covers. His closed his eyes, and meditated.

The blackness overtook him, and he focused outward. He wanted to know what Hogwarts looked like to his new senses. Looking through his mental eyes, he was stunned to see the magic brim and shimmer in everything he saw.

Something drew his attention, and Harry shifted his focus. The blackness overtook him once more, and slowly, something blurred into focus.

Almost, he lost his concentration. _Three of them. Great Merlin's Beard... Hogwarts is built on top of a congregation of _three _Ley Lines! _For a moment, he lost his sight of the Lines, before it flowed back into focus, the mythical combination point of three Ley Lines. The one in Surrey was but a thread compared to these three, and for a moment, Harry felt the urge to tap them, to see and feel the power for himself.

He resisted. He smiled slightly to himself... it had taken him many long minutes of focus to see the Line back in Surrey the first time since his nearly disastrous tapping of the Line the first time. Since then, it had gotten progressively easier, but he had resisted the urge to tap into it, knowing the power that it contained. He needed to know more, first. And as long as he didn't know for sure he wasn't going to end up like he had the first time, he refused to channel its power.

He told himself he would go into the library tomorrow, and see if he couldn't borrow some books on Druidism. He was lucky enough to know where to look... somehow, he suspected Ken's knowledge was responsible for this, be he wasn't sure. And he most assuredly didn't care _how_ he knew.

After a relaxing training session in his mindscape later that night, Harry had about five hours of well-deserved slumber. After that... a new day was afoot, and new challenges awaited him.

All the teachers knew of Harry's staff, his sword, and the fact that Harry could not be separated from either weapon.

Harry was perfectly glad to let school slip him by, he was certain that no matter what he did, he would still end up somewhere. Ken was training him too well for him not to.

However, it was not to be. When Professor McGonagall handed out the schedules, she had a word to say to Harry.

More than one word, in fact.

He didn't mind, and just let her words flow over him. It was a mental exercise he had learned from Ken. Called the Calm of the Lake, he projected his own emotional state like a mountain lake, and her words were merely the wind that rustled the surface of his calm, cool, waters.

First, he had a free period, and then came the class he was least looking forward to... _Defense Against the Dark Arts._

Professor Snape.

Harry drew a breath, well in time before class started. After the Professor rudely ordered them inside, Harry felt as if the light was being sucked out of the room.

As the teacher struck off a speech about the Dark Arts, which sounded too much like he liked the Dark Arts instead of the defense against them, he started walking through the class. Harry, as he had taken to do, had his sword leaning against his desk, right next to him; his staff was leaning against his side, should he need it.

As Snape walked by, the hated professor hooked his foot behind the staff, and kicked it away. "Whoops," he said, not sounded apologetic at all. "I guess that this comes with me, Potter. No clutter in the pathways."

Harry's eyes narrowed when he saw the Professor take his staff.

Ron, sitting next to him, physically pulled back when he saw Harry's body tremble. The Calm of the Lake was now a raging storm, maelstroms whipped up by the gale-force winds.

Harry stood up. "To me!" he barked out, outstretching his hand. The staff glowed white, vanished from Snape's grip, and appeared in Harry's hand, who clenched it, turned it tip-down, and closed his eyes.

As he sat down, the jammed the staff down, and magic crackled over the ground, balancing the staff upright on its tip, without damaging the floor.

"Detention, Potter," Snape snarled.

Harry glared at the man. "Fine."

Snape's upper lip curled away from his teeth, and Harry felt something tingle. Snape looked confused for just a moment, and then smirked devilishly. "Trying to shield your thoughts, Potter?" he asked with a vicious glint in his eyes. Faster than anyone had thought possible, the man had snapped out his wand, and snarled "_Legilimens!"_

Harry staggered in his seat, feeling his outer shields crumble like wax paper under the Professor's onslaught. He didn't mind much... his outer shields were detection-based, not defense-based, and crumbling was their purpose. He drew a breath, held it, and focused. His mental hands jammed on the Big Red Button in the middle of the Headmaster's office of his Mental Hogwarts. He felt a thrill shoot through his mind, as his Occlumency shifted gears, going from defense to offense.

The moat, still filled with inflammable liquids, ignited.

In the Real World, Snape staggered, actually grabbing hold of a chair to keep himself upright.

"Potter!"

"Trying to read my mind isn't as easy as it was last year, is it, Professor?" Harry asked, calmly, somehow feeling an incredible calm settling over him. He had done it! He had kept Snape out of his mind!

"As we're discussing nonverbal magic," Snape snarled, "How about a demonstration, Potter?" he snapped out his wand, throwing a nonverbal hex at Harry.

Harry snapped out of the way of the spell, making it hit his desk. He flowed to his legs, his staff coming off the ground without hesitation. He was glad of Ken's extra training, and her teachings. They had made him fast, even if the entire class was now watching him with looks that ranged from awe to fear.

"You tried to hex me," Harry whispered.

Snape's look was murderous. He snapped out one hex, and then a second, right after.

Harry dodged the first one, and decided not to give away _all_ his secrets. He blocked the second one on a Protego shield he cast verbally, using Western Magic. "We were discussing nonverbal magic, Potter."

_Fool. I could rip you to pieces,_ Harry thought, feeling his new-found confidence flare. Closing his eyes, he drew a deep breath, and released it. Another hex came flying at him. Harry's hand clenched around his staff, and spun it around, deviating Snape's spell into the ground right next to him, feeling the amount of effort it required of him to deviate a spell of such strength. Or rather, he _slammed _it into the ground, using brute force to do so, knowing fully well that his skills in magical deviation were a mess.

Snape's eyes went wide, recognizing the motion. "Who taught you to do that?" he asked with an angry scowl on his face.

Harry's eyes opened, and his left hand was held out. His sword came to it with hardly a thought. "The same person who taught me to use the sword, as well as the staff," he whispered. He sat down. Snape stood there, staring for close to ten seconds at the boy, then shook his head and resumed his lesson, shooting a suspicious look at Harry the entire time. Harry, for his part, ignored the looks and focused on the lessons.

That night, after half an hour of private meditation, he found himself in his mindscape, with Ken and Maya with him.

"So, you kept that bastard out?" Maya said, grinning, after exchanging pleasantries. She, of course, had seen everything through the link she shared with Harry, and had shown it to their teacher as soon as it was over and she had verified that Harry was alright.

Harry nodded. "My Occlumency behaved admirably... and when I switched into high gear, I could actually see him stagger!" Harry was grinning widely, his eyes shining with excitement. "It was incredible!"

While Maya complimented him, Harry saw Ken nod in satisfaction, a pleased smile on her face. "You did well, Harry. Your shields have grown quite strong, and with your daily exercises, your mind is developing as well. I wouldn't be surprised if you would be able to draw your sword any day now," Ken said finally, and glanced at Hogwarts Castle, noticing details that weren't present the first time, or even the second time he had rebuilt his mind. "The level of detail is increasing."

Harry nodded, stepping up next to his teacher. "I know. I can feel it... I'm calmer than I've ever been. But I still lost my temper when he grabbed my staff."

Ken nodded. "That is to be expected. He took your magical weapon away. And even though we can not bind it in the same way we can bind a sword, it is still a very personal item. Of course you lost your temper over it." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Do not worry about it. Just be thankful that it stopped where it did... you managed to surprise him, and he backed off. But remember... had he been serious, and aware of your abilities, he could have hurt you severely. Western Magic has its own potency."

Harry nodded. "I wouldn't have been able to keep bending his spells away."

"Not unless your power can overcome his," Ken said. "And it is a good point you make. Today, let's train more in magical manipulation." As Harry nodded, Ken went on, "Have you tried to use what I have taught you in your regular classes? To help with the manipulation of magic that your teachers are demanding of you?"

"I've tried, Sensei," Harry said. "But the elemental aspects are still beyond me... I still can't figure it out completely."

Ken nodded. "I have provided you with knowledge, most of which is still hidden. I did not, and can not, transfer a complete manual into you, nor can I give you a set of ready-to-use skills. You must develop the skills by yourself. But, at lest you tried." Harry looked up at her. It was strange how different she was from his other teachers; no teacher he had ever had was as encouraging as Ken was, no other had ever told him it was okay to fail, as long as he got up and tried again, and again, and again, until he succeeded. Harry swallowed. That was exactly what he would do. There was no way he would give up now.

Not after all the hard work Ken had put into him. His teacher nodded at him when she saw his resolve. "Good. Keep trying, Harry. You will succeed. And then, you will understand the nature of the spells better than most of the people you will ever meet in combat. And understanding of a thing will alleviate fear of that thing, and will enable you to defeat that thing."

Harry nodded once more, understanding what she meant. "Ken-Sensei, I have a question." He sighed. Ken remained silent, looking at him. He didn't usually ask permission to ask a question, and Ken realized that this must be a big thing for her newest student.

"In school, I have a study group, called the Defense Association, the DA... basically, a group of students that I teach defensive spells." He swallowed. "I wondered... how much of what you teach me here can I try and teach them?"

Ken was silent for a few moments, before nodding. "You can try and teach them anything you want, Harry. I would advise against teaching them Soul-binding, but that should not stop you from teaching those arts to those you think are ready." Once again, he found her hand on his shoulder. "You are a very responsible young man, Harry. Most people your age would hoard their skills, better themselves, and hold those skills above the rest. I am proud to be your teacher."

"T-thank you, Sensei," Harry whispered, hearing words to those effects for the first time in his life.

Ken dipped her head. "Now, if I may make a suggestion, try and teach your students how to defend their minds first. Then you can relate all of your secrets to them. Full disclosure, trust, is very important between teacher and students. After you teach them to defend their minds, you have my permission to relate any and all information to them you think is necessary."

Harry nodded again. "Thank you, Sensei."

Ken smiled, lifted her hand off his shoulder. "Now... let's start today's lesson. Magic manipulation in a fun way. Maya?"

Maya smiled, and nodded. "This is a game Sensei and I play... it's what has taught me to bend spells away. It's called _spellis,_ like tennis, only with a spell."

Harry frowned, then shrugged. Whatever the game was, as long as it taught him new things, it was okay in his book. He could see in Maya's mind what the court looked like, and soon, there was a spellis court next to the lake at Hogwarts. Shaped like a rectangle, almost like a tennis court without the added lines for double-play, it sported just one line down the center, halving the court.

Maya and Harry each stood at one end, facing each other, the line separating them instead of a net. "Okay, bro," Maya said, slipping into English, "The rules are simple. One of us has the serve. Meaning, they can shoot the spell and start the game. The spell can not leave the court by the side-lines. If it does, the other person gets a point. If the spell goes over the baselines, the shooter gets a point. Point of the game is to use the correct magic-manipulation to shoot the spell back to the other side of the court, while not letting it touch the ground."

Harry nodded. That sounded simple enough. Maya went on. "The Serve changes with the points. The person who loses a point can serve. Oh, and hitting the opponent is the same as having your spell go over the baseline, means you get a point."

Maya grinned. "Best of all, the magic manipulation adds speed and power to the spell as it is 'deflected' back and forth. After a while, it goes very fast, and packs quite a punch. Usually, a mild tickling spell is used... but every now and then, Sensei and I use explosion or blast curses. Adds a whole new dimension to the game when the spell is quite capable of taking your head off. Excellent for teaching spell-deflection for under combat conditions."

Harry nodded, then thought of something. "Hey! Does that mean, you could have reflected all my spells back at me during our sparring match?"

Maya shrugged, and gave him a saucy grin. As Harry shook his head, she laughed. "You'll figure out, Harry, that not all spells can be returned from where they came. Some can, some can't. And some can't be deflected at all. Like your Unforgivable Curses."

"Hey... _MY_ Unforgivable Curses?" Harry asked.

"They're not unforgivable in Japan," Maya said, shrugging. "Magic is magic. You either outlaw all, or you outlaw nothing. A killing curse can be used to put someone out of his misery, or to hunt something. There's no reason to outlaw a spell... it is enough to outlaw the results. All deaths by magic are treated the same way."

Harry glanced at Ken, who nodded. Harry smiled, and shook his head. It sounded so logical, now that he thought about it. "Now," Maya said. "Are we going to stand here and talk your night away, or are we going to play spellis?"

Harry shrugged. "Let's play."

It took him nearly an hour before he managed to get the spell back to Maya's side of the court. Magical Manipulation was nowhere as easy as he thought it would be. Deflecting a spell to his left or right was easy enough, but to reflect it back to her side of the court, totally reverting its course, that was something else entirely. Harry gritted his teeth. This was just another obstacle for him to overcome, and overcome it he would.

00000

The week slipped by at a fast pace, Harry's mind too occupied with other things to really stand still and realize just how much work he had on his plate. During the days, there were endless classes, most of them focusing on nonverbal incantations now, and endless assignments of homework. He was glad he didn't have to take Potions anymore. He could always get an extra course later, should he need the subject after defeating Voldemort.

If he was still alive, that was.

At night, there was his customary half-hour to full-hour of meditation before lessons with Ken. And even though his Japanese teacher no longer pushed him for more than two hours a night, he still felt the effects the next day.

And then, it was Saturday, and he found himself in front of the students in the Defense Association, minus a couple of notable absences. Mariette Edgecombe, who had betrayed them last year, was not present. The unflattering hex Hermione had embedded into the document they had all signed last year was still irreversible, apparently. Also missing was Zacharias Smith, but he had never been the most positive about the DA.

In fact, Harry was rather surprised by the amount of people that had still showed up. He hadn't expected so many of them to still be interested, but he guessed the impression he had made had to account for something.

"Thank you all for coming," Harry said, letting the surprise show in his voice. He drew a breath while the group muttered. "This year, things will be a little different," he began, "Over the summer, I have been learning many things, things I am still learning right now. And those are the things that I will be teaching you." He drew another breath. "But not yet."

He ignored their startled outcries and the indignant responses. "First, you will all need to learn to protect what I'm going to teach you. You all need to learn Occlumency." He turned to Hermione and Ron, standing next to him. "Even my best friends didn't get a word out of me before they learned. So, the first thing I will be teaching you is Occlumency. It will make sure nobody can read your minds... like well-meaning Headmasters or Greasy Potions and Defense Teachers, and then I will begin to teach you some of the new things I've learned over the summer."

"And what if we can't learn Occlumency?" Justin Flinch-Fletchly asked.

Harry sighed, he had thought a long time about this, and the answer wasn't really what he wanted it to be. "Then we will work on it until you can. I don't expect you to be masters. I just want you to be able to defend yourself long enough to either get help, activate a Portkey, or snap off a curse to deter the bastard trying to read your mind from trying again. And as long as you can't do that... I can't show you these secrets." They were muttering angrily now.

Harry understood, he was angry with himself as well. "Please, it's that important." He lifted his empty hand. "I don't want Voldemort to find out about these skills, so I must keep them a secret. And showing off that I have a staff and a sword is one thing, but actually teaching you guys to do the same thing... if that falls into Voldemort's hands, the results are catastrophic."

The group calmed down, introspective now, beginning to understand how important this was... as well as how dangerous it was what they were doing. Harry was going to teach them defense, he was going to teach them to take care of themselves, and he was going to do it because there was an insane lunatic out there who wanted to kill them, their friends, and their families, just because of it. The muttering slowly died down as they pulled themselves together.

Harry nodded, glad to see that they were listing to his words, and that none of them was going to give up. "Great!" he said. "First things first... let me show you how to meditate. It's a non-magical practice, it helps to sharpen to mind."

The lesson was calm and peaceful as Harry taught them to meditate. Somehow, the purebloods didn't mind the practice as much as he had feared. He guessed calling it 'nonmagical' rather than 'Muggle' didn't make it sound as bad.

Breaking for lunch, the entire group made their way to the Great Hall to strengthen their inner human. Fully intending to go back to the Room of Requirement after lunch, the Trio sat down for lunch, waiting for the food to appear.

In came Malfoy, alone and bereft of his usual bodyguards. He looked rather tired, Harry thought, and he frowned.

"What is it, Harry?" Ron asked. "I know that frown. You're thinking about something again."

"Malfoy," Harry replied, honestly. "He hasn't made any comments, he's late for meals, and so forth. I think he's up to something."

"Who's to say he hasn't changed?" Hermione asked. "Just because he's not being his usual obnoxious self doesn't mean that he's up to something."

"You heard him on the first day, Hermione," Harry said. "He was still being his own self. Only, he's doing something else... I'm sure of it." His eyes squinted at Malfoy, who was just shoveling food now, not even talking or joking or making derogatory comments about Harry and his friends. It unnerved Harry, it was just so wrong for the Malfoy Heir. As lunch ended, and Malfoy was about to slip out of the Great Hall, Harry was there to intercept him, contrary to Hermione who kept trying to stop him.

"Malfoy."

"Potter," Draco Malfoy returned coldly. "What do _you_ want?"

Now Harry was sure something was up. "I want to know what you've been doing. Something is up, and don't bother denying it. No bodyguards, late at meals, and, oh yeah, lack of targeting me and mine." He started out light and easy, but as he said 'me and mine', Harry's tone seemed to drop to the antarctic regions of frigidity.

Malfoy looked down and away, and grunted. "Why would something be up?"

"Because you've had it in me for five years, that's why. I know you, Malfoy. This isn't like you, and I know you're up to no good." He drew a breath. "What is that half-blood master of yours up to now?"

Harry ignored the muttering of the students around them, most of which had seen Harry accost Malfoy right outside of the Great Hall, and were now sticking around to see the end of this. Malfoy did not disappoint them. Faster than they thought possible, his wand was in his hand.

"One of these days, Potter, your big mouth is going to get yourself killed!" The Malfoy heir screamed.

Harry grinned. "If _he_ can't kill me, Malfoy, what makes you think that _you_ can?" He asked with a sneer.

Draco's wand came up, and wordless curse left it. Harry, ever-ready thanks to intensive late-night training sessions with Ken and Maya, side-stepped the clumsy too-fast curse. "You want to fight me now, Malfoy?" Harry asked, a dangerous glint in his eyes. He threw his staff sideways. Ron caught it without a second thought. Harry reached in his left sleeve, touched the release for his quick draw holster, and withdrew his wand.

"I am not going to dirty my staff on the likes of you," Harry grunted under his breath, feeling the wand pulse in his hand. As Malfoy cast again, Harry flung his wand around, throwing the spell off to one side, deflecting it harmlessly into a wall.

Harry realized right there and then what the difference was between a staff and a wand. The wand, shorter, and infused with a magical substance, was the Western goal of magic: brute force, with very little control. At the same while, his staff was the Eastern philosophy embodied: less in brute strength, but tremendous control. As he returned a spell, and felt the magic blast out of his wand, shattering Draco's hurriedly-constructed shield and catapult him back, back into the Great Hall, Harry grinned.

"Attacking me, Malfoy, is a huge mistake. I have learned and studied. I am not your frightened opponent I was in the last five years. Give it up, Malfoy, you can't beat me. Just tell me what I want to know. What are you up to?"

Draco snarled, jumped up, and loosed a flurry of spells at Harry, who scoffed, and deviated them all away, without harming anyone. Harry returned a single spell, a Petrificus Totalus full body-bind he cast in total silence, freezing Malfoy on the spot, regardless of the shield he had up.

"See?" Harry asked, walking around the Draco statue, realizing at once that everyone was staring at him. He glanced at the Head table, at which sat only Dumbledore. He was glad that the other teachers were already away. As he saw the Headmaster get up, he realized that he was still in trouble, but at least he was sure of fair treatment at the hand of the Headmaster.

Harry waved his hand, wordlessly, and without wand, removing the Body-bind. The Headmaster was slowly walking toward them, and Harry put his wand away. Draco fell to the ground after the Body-Bind released. Harry ignored him.

Draco, now released from the body-bind, but still angry, aimed his wand at Harry's back, and whispered a curse.

Half of the present students yelled, but not before Harry had already started to move away, making the spell miss. Unfortunately, the Headmaster was still approaching, and he was now in the direct path of the spell. Quick as lightning, Harry's wand was in his hand, and it whipped around in a sickeningly quick motion. The spell exploded up, and hit the enchanted ceiling, which crackled angrily as it dissipated the spell.

Harry's face was furious, and he motioned with his free hand to Ron. The staff was thrown to him, and he put his wand away. Totally forgetting the stunned look on the headmaster's face as he threw the spell off-course, totally forgetting that the man was even there, Harry flung around and glared at Malfoy. "Shooting in the back now, Malfoy? You sniveling little coward! Let me show you just _what_ I am capable of!"

Harry jerked his staff, and Malfoy found himself on his feet.

"Thirty seconds, Malfoy. I'm giving you thirty seconds to land a spell on me. After that, my turn. And I will destroy you with three spells," Harry snarled, his entire body raging. Dumbledore walked closer, intent on stopping the fight, when Malfoy snarled, and started shooting off spells.

Harry just stood there, and let them come. At the last moment, he deviated them, throwing them into the ground, the air, or the walls, at all times away from himself or any of the other students. He knew better than to return them... he still wasn't very good at Spellis, and this was a battle.

He grinned slightly, remembering how Maya had once humiliated him in a similar fashion. He hoped it would be enough to get Malfoy to confess whatever it was he was up to.

As the spells continued to come, and he continued to deviate them, Harry started to whisper. Splitting his focus was harder than he thought it would be; and his respect for Maya and Ken went up again.

Under his breath, he muttered, knowing he was nearing the thirty-second limit. "Carriage of thunder, chasm of a spinning wheel, divide this light into six." He felt the Kidou, the demon arts, take hold within him, and he knew that he had successfully activated the incantation.

"Thirty seconds," Harry muttered, jerking his staff in Draco's direction. "Kuzuryusen!" the nine flashes of magic caught everybody by surprise, and a too-angry-to-care Harry ignored the fact that everyone could see him do Japanese magic.

The nine flashes broke through the Protego-shield Draco had up, and flung him back, precisely as Harry had wanted. His empty left hand jerked in the boy's direction. "Ways of Binding, number sixty-one. Six rods Prison of Light!"

Six flashes of light penetrated Draco's torso, arms, and legs, holding him in place. Draco, never one to have a tan, grew paler still when he felt Harry's magic grip him. In a corner of his mind, Draco started to wonder if Harry knew how much power he had, and whether he realized that everyone in the room could feel it. And a second thought formed itself into a doubt. Could it be, that Potter actually would be able to win against the Dark Lord?

Harry snarled, bringing his staff up, and cupping his left hand behind the head. In mindscape, he always had tremendous difficulty with this spell, but he had to learn it at some point. And better here, against Draco, then in a fight for his life against Voldemort.

"Rasengan," he whispered, feeling his magic build and shape and reshape. His magic control was far from perfect, and a lot of his effort leaked away into the air around him. It was ironic, he would note later, that it was his slipping control that made him glow, and made the air thick with magic, giving him the appearance of being way stronger than he actually was.

As his magic shaped, and Draco continued to struggle to free himself, Dumbledore yelled at Harry when the spell completed.

Harry, however, did not hear him. The sounds of magic and the pounding of it in his ears and chest elevated him beyond hearing and caring. As the boy jerked his staff forward, and the _rasengan_ spell flashed towards Draco, it upturned tables, pushed students back, and burnt the floor underneath. Draco let out a final scream, right before the spell detonated against the wall, right next to his head.

"It is not my intention to kill you now," Harry said in the absolute silence of the Great Hall. He dispelled the Kidou that held Draco in place. The boy was shaking. And stinking, too, as he had wet himself. "But you will tell me what you were trying to do."

Malfoy nodded. "Ha... give me half an hour... and I'll tell you everything." Draco swallowed, and stood up on shaking legs. His entire body trembled. He had been in Voldemort's presence, had felt the strength of his spells. But never, ever, had he held fear as he had right now. Seeing a glowing Harry Potter, body trembling with magical energies, taking a mere three spells to kill someone, it terrified him in a way that no Voldemort could hope to match.

Yes, Draco Malfoy realized, perhaps a change of allegiance is in order.

"Harry," Dumbledore spoke from behind Harry's back. For the first time, the Headmaster sounded angry, and Harry turned around, lifting his head high. He was not about to apologize for what he did, even if he realized that he had let his impulsive nature get the better of him.

"My office," Dumbledore said, walking past Harry, toward the exit of the Great Hall. Harry just nodded, and spun around. As he turned to follow, he noticed all the students in the Great Hall stare at him. Harry met the eyes of those in the DA, and gave them the most imperceptible of nods. He would explain to them this afternoon, at the continuation of the DA meeting. He ignored everyone else on his way out of the Hall.

In total silence, they made their way to Dumbledore's office, and Harry was too drawn into himself to hear the password this time. He was too busy thinking about what he did, and what it represented. He had actually shaped the Rasengan, had used it in battle, and had actually managed to guide and control it. Even if his magic-leakage was atrocious, and he had bled off more than half of his power into the surrounding air instead of into the spell itself, this was still a great success.

He came back to the real world when Dumbledore sat down and motioned for Harry to do the same. Harry stared into the Headmaster's eyes. They were devoid of their twinkle, and the look of anger and disappointment was enough to make Harry's heart tremble.

"I am very disappointed in your actions today," Dumbledore said.

Harry nodded. "Yes, Sir."

Dumbledore looked calculatingly at Harry. "You will not apologize?"

Harry shrugged. "There is no sense in apologizing... it happened. My control slipped when he attacked my back. And when the spell aimed for you, I failed to let you deal with it, and jumped in." He drew a breath. "I am not going to apologize for my actions, after all, I merely scared him and did no damage. My control over my emotions may have slipped, but my control over my spells did not."

Dumbledore was silent for a good twenty seconds, merely looking at Harry. Harry, in turn, just looked back. Finally, the Headmaster's mouth twitched slightly. "I see. Then, tell me, why did you leak such a horrible amount of magic into the Great Hall? I am sure that even the untrained First Years could feel it. As a second thought, I am sure they could even _smell_ it. The air stank with it."

Harry nodded. "Control over spells and control over magic are two different things, Headmaster, and I am sure that you know that. I am still working on my magic control."

Dumbledore nodded, and was silent again. A good thirty seconds later, he nodded. "Now, Harry, will you be honest with me? Last summer, you told me you were studying meditation. This is not the result of meditation. Those spells you were using... I have only seen them performed by Wizards of Japanese descent."

Harry sighed. He was afraid of that. His little show had tipped too much of his hand. He closed his eyes, and cursed himself. "In fact," Dumbledore went on, "Some of the techniques I saw you use today can only be performed by the masters of the trade. Exactly how long have you been training in the Eastern Arts, and the Japanese Styles to be exact?"

Harry drew a breath. "Since this summer." He opened his eyes, and looked at the Headmaster, aware of his mental shield's integrity, and pushing some energy into them for good measure. "And I can only tell you that I am training, learning from a Japanese master. I can not tell you more without violating confidentiality."

Dumbledore was silent again, aware of the boy's impressive mental shields. What was worse, he had been aware since this summer that his friends, too, had started to shield their minds. And at an impressive rate, too. "I am aware of that, Harry, and I am pleased to see that you would not violate a confidence to get out of trouble."

Harry remained silent. Finally, he said, "Am I in trouble, then, Sir?"

Dumbledore watched Harry intently. "Even if I punish you, you will only see it as unfair, will you, Harry?"

Harry shrugged, and admitted to something he never thought he'd admit to before this summer. "I violated your rules, and I deserve to be punished for that. That does not mean that I think the rules are just." He smiled slightly. "My intention was to scare Draco Malfoy, maybe impress him, and get him to tell me what he was up to. It worked. My mission was a success. If I must suffer through detention for it, so be it." He refused to voice his other thought. The last thing he wanted was to be expelled.

On the other hand, that meant he could go to Japan and live with Ken and Maya full time.

If they would still have him, that was.

Dumbledore sat there, watching the emotions flicker through the boy's eyes, somewhat able to guesstimate what was going through his mind. A small smile tugged at his lips. "I believe I will let you go with a stern warning and a good talking-to."

Harry dipped his head. "Yes, sir. Thank you, Sir."

Dumbledore nodded. "You can go now, Harry. Have you conversation with Draco Malfoy, and then go talk to your friends. I am sure they are bursting with curiosity by now. Especially Miss Granger."

Harry smiled. Hermione would be running up the walls to ask him questions, he just knew it. As he got up and walked out of the office, Dumbledore stopped him one final time.

"Harry? Everything Draco Malfoy tells you that may be important..."

Harry nodded. "You will be the first to know, Sir," Harry replied with a small smile. Dumbledore nodded, and Harry left the office, off to find Draco Malfoy. And thanks to a certain Marauder's Map, that wasn't as difficult as one might think.

He found Malfoy in the library, exactly half an hour after he had let the other boy walk out of the Great Hall, and for a moment, Harry wondered how everyone just knew how to meet him here when he wanted to talk to them. First Cho, and now Malfoy. Both had come here to meet him in private, even without him saying _where_ exactly they were to meet.

He sat down in front of the Malfoy heir, and regarded him for a good twenty seconds. Seconds that made the Slytherin decidedly more sweaty and nervous then they would have done previously. "So, Malfoy," Harry opened. "What exactly is going on?"

Draco swallowed nervously, and looked around skittishly. "Not here, Potter. Let's go somewhere private."

Harry shrugged, and got up, trailing Malfoy as both boys left the library. They entered the first empty classroom they came across, and the other boy threw up a couple of privacy wards. Harry would have done the same, but the sole fact that he didn't want Malfoy to know about Seal Magic as well stopped him.

Harry sat down in the teacher's chair, and smirked at Malfoy when the boy shot him a dirty look. Lifting one eyebrow, his entire posture told Malfoy that he was now waiting for an explanation.

Malfoy sat down on the desk of the front room, directly in front of the teacher's desk, obviously trying to work up the courage needed to tell everything he knew to the boy that used to be his arch-nemesis. All the way to this meeting, Draco had housed doubts, but each and every time, his thoughts had revolved back to a single point.

Harry Potter had developed one serious case of magical stones over the summer, and his new-found self-confidence obviously agreed with him. And the power… Draco had felt it sound in his bones. He had felt the floor tremor beneath him as that last spell was cast, he had felt the constricting pressure on his chest, he had seen the boy glow. Draco swallowed again. It was time to jump ship, and join the other team. He wanted to live, and live he would!

"The Dark Lord gave me a mission," Draco said. "To kill Dumbledore."

Harry was upright and out of the chair in an instant. "Don't worry, Potter," Draco snapped. "I'm not going to go through with it _now_, obviously."

Harry's eyes narrowed dangerously. Never a good sign, that.

"You'd better explain, and not let anything out, Malfoy," Harry snapped, his staff striking the floor so hard it drew sparks from the stones.

Malfoy talked, and Harry listened, and by the time the long narrative was over, Harry had to admit that he found to have a small bit of respect for the other boy. The choice he made could not have been easy, and he was going against his family, as well as against the guy he had seen brutalize everything he knew. And Harry knew how much Voldemort's curses could hurt… he did not envy Draco's position, and he grudgingly gave the boy some respect. He was not sure he would have been able to make the same choice, had the situations been reversed.

"Thank you for telling me, Malfoy," Harry said after the other boy stopped talking. "Now I'm going to go out and destroy those Vanishing Cabinets you were going to use to get people in here, and I'm going to go talk to Dumbledore." He stepped towards the boy, still sitting on the desk, and held out a hand. "For what it's worth, Malfoy… thank you for chosing the right side. It couldn't have been easy, going against your friends and your family."

Draco, stunned for just a moment, smiled slightly as he grabbed Harry's hand, and allowed himself to be lifted upright. "My family are a bunch of bastards, Potter, and I know that better than you. They would stab me in the back to gain favor with the Dark Lord. Betraying them… well, I would say it feels good, if only I wasn't sure that I hadn't signed a shoot-on-sight order on myself with all of the Death Eaters out there."

Harry nodded, and released the hand. "I'll talk to Dumbledore; we'll figure something out. If there is anyone else from Slytherin who wants to jump ship and join the right side, let me know, okay?"

Malfoy nodded. "I'll see to it, Po…" he stopped, and drew a breath. "Harry," he finally said, almost choking on the name. He hadn't expected to be offered protection, not beyond Hogwarts, anyway. This was better than he had hoped for.

Harry was surprised for just a few seconds, then smiled. "You're welcome, Draco," he replied, accepting the statement for what it veiled. He nodded once more, and left the classroom. Draco stared… he hadn't taken down the privacy spells, and Harry had just walked out without canceling them.

He swallowed. _If the guy can disable privacy spells by _walking _through them, who knows what else he's capable of!_

00000

At the same time Harry was having his conversation with the young Malfoy, two cloaked figures made their way up to the Owlery. Unseen, they attached their message, consisting out of a small roll of parchment and two small vials containing a white viscous liquid.

As the two owls flew off, each carrying a single parchment and a single vial, the two cloaked figures made their way back down to their Common Room, their mission accomplished.

Half an hour later, a random underling brought the messages and the accompanying vials to an odious figure sitting on an ornate throne.

"My Lord, two messages have come from the school," the underling spoke as he bowed deeply before the figure, holding in his hands the parchments and the vials. Voldemort looked at his subordinate, and dismissed him after accepting the messages.

He opened the first scroll, and his white face seemed to split at the seams as a wide grin appeared on that cold and inhuman face.

_My Lord,_

_Today we saw HP humiliate_ _DM in front of the entire Great Hall. In order to do this, he had in his possession spells of which we had never heard._

_After some quick research into the incantations, all we could determine was that the spells were of Japanese origin. _

_We thought it prudent to bring the information to you as soon as possible, rather than researching it ourselves and risking exposure. _

_After all, My Lord, you are the Dark Lord. _

_As a further precaution, we duplicated this message. Each message is accompanied by the memories of one of us. _

_We remain in your humble service,_

_TD_

_DG_

Voldemort smiled. Teaching his junior subordinates how to duplicate pensieve memories had been a great idea. He looked at one of the flasks, and swirled the memory around. The small container was labeled 'TD', indicating the owner it had come from.

Pulling his pensieve out of its hiding place, he emptied the memory into it. Immediately, he fell into it, seeing and experiencing the memory for himself.

Ten minutes later, he raced to watch the second memory, this one labeled 'DG'. Another fifteen minutes passed as he viewed this memory. By the time he was done, Voldemort was shaking.

His mouth twisted in a vicious scowl, he bellowed for his underling to bring him his Inner Circle. He had a battle to plan. Whomsoever dared to teach that brat Japanese Combat Magic deserved a long and painful death, but first he needed to get rid of Harry Potter. Once and for all… the boy was definitely moving up on the danger scale, and Voldemort hated the risk the boy posed to his plans.

**End of Chapter**


	6. Hogsmeade

**Mahou** **mo Ken**

All rights to Harry Potter and its world, characters, and settings belong to JK Rowling. I don't own any of its characters, and I am not making any money off this.

**Chapter six – Hogsmeade**

Frowning in concentration, ignoring the looks he got from the students present in the Room of Requirement, Harry walked to the far wall, and sat down. He had just finished his meeting with Dumbledore, as he had promised, right after he had finished with Draco Malfoy.

It ended up with him leaving his memory of the interview with the old Headmaster; somehow he knew that it was Ken's knowledge dump that enabled him to make a memory copy.

It was Hermione who broke the silence first. "Harry, what happened?"

Harry looked up sharply, startled out of his thoughts, as the other students started shouting at him at the same time. Most were wondering what happened, how much trouble he was in, where he had been this last hour, why he had done what he did, and so on.

Finally, he drew a breath, and grinned. It was good to be home, he thought. He stood up, and lifted his hands up, silently asking for silence; he got his wish almost immediately.

"What happened is simple, really," he said. "I lost control over my emotions… even if I was able to control my spell and make sure it did not hit Malfoy. As to how much trouble I'm in, Dumbledore has given me a very stern talking-to." He grinned slightly at this point. "Apparently, the fact that Malfoy was never in any danger saved me from harsher punishment. As to what I've been doing since then… I've talked to Malfoy, and then talked to Dumbledore again." He made eye-contact with Ron and Hermione, and then went on. "I've found out a couple of things. Unfortunately, I can't tell them to you now… we first need to build up your Occlumency. We need to make sure this information is protected, just as the training I'm giving you should be protected."

Cho raised her hand, and Harry called on her.

"About the training, Harry… I've been thinking, and I have a question. Why is your teacher allowing you to teach us, while my parents refused to do it?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. I'll ask my teacher next time. But I think it's because my teacher isn't very traditional… which is probably the reason I'm getting training as well."

Cho nodded, accepting his explanation, even if it didn't satisfy himself. He looked around, seeing the expectant faces. He sighed; shaking his head as he did so. "I am not going to explain more about this afternoon, not without Occlumency on your part."

Disappointed groans filled the air of the Room of Requirement, and Harry smiled slightly. "But that doesn't mean I can't give a small demonstration," he added, somehow knowing he had to give them something. He at once realized where he had learned this particular teaching technique... it was the same way Ken had taught him.

He stepped forward, and splayed his right hand. "_To me,"_ he thought without moving his lips, feeling the connection form between his staff and him. It teleported directly into his hand. He thought they wouldn't be too impressed with the trick, seeing as he had used it against Snape already, but his students proved him wrong once again.

Excited chatter rose, and it was Hermione's voice that rose above the hubbub. "How do you _do_ that, Harry? This is the second time I've seen you do that!"

Harry looked this staff, surprised that they'd actually be interested. "Well, Japanese staves are created differently from western wands. Where wands are wood, filled with a magical core, Staves are just wood. They are made from special trees, groomed specifically to have little defects. As soon as a wizard reaches the point in his or her training where they can benefit from a staff, they are taught how to create one."

He swallowed, took a breath, and walked slowly through the room, looking the gathered people in the eye as he talked. "A staff is then carved for them, after which they, themselves, have to _activate_ it. The mage meditates, and binds an element to the staff, at which point it takes in the nature of the element, and becomes magical. At that point only is it able to start channelling magic. Binding an element to a staff is an incredibly draining experience. As you can imagine, it is different for each person, and an incredibly tight bond is formed. As such, a mage can summon his or her staff to themselves, as long as the staff is nearby."

"But... you can't apparate in Hogwarts!" Hermione interjected.

Harry smiled at her. "True. But there are other ways of teleportation. For instance..." He opened his left hand, and his sword flashed from his hip to his hand. "The power of the Japanese Sword can not be stopped by any means known to wizard-kind." He put the sword back. "The staff can be summoned when nearby. Range deteriorates fast with distance, and obstacles. Within Hogwarts, I don't think I can summon my staff from more than fifty meters or so away."

He glanced around the room again. "I can not tell you more, not without protections." He smiled slightly. "And as I want to start teaching you soon, how about we go back to meditation?"

The people groaned, but sat down obediently.

"Let's start breathing," he said as he sat down in front of them, crossing his legs without thinking about it? Closing his eyes, and putting his open hands, palms to the skies, on top of his knees. "The Hansa method may help those of you who have trouble," he said, remembering the morning's session. "Take little sniffling breaths, not very deeply. The breath should not reach your lungs; if you feel tingling or dizziness, you're hyperventilating, you're breathing too deeply. When you sniff in, think _han_. When sniffing out, think _sa_. It's called a mantra... and it will allow you to focus. Become aware of the breath you take as you breathe in." He drew a breath after his monologue, feeling his own awareness shift. "When you feel the urge to breathe, do so. Then return to the Hansa mantra."

He became aware of some of them, not taking his lesson seriously, who were sniffing loudly. He closed his mind, refused to smile. They would feel the results soon.

The loud sniffing died out, the students in question feeling dizzy, their fingers tingling with hyperventilation.

Harry opened his eyes, and erected himself out of lotus position with practised ease. "Now," he said, "On to Occlumency. With the Hansa method, you've cleared your mind. Now, focus. Focus on a stone wall, a wall that will protect you, your mind, your memories and your emotions. Focus on the wall as it encompasses you, protects you, and makes you feel safe."

He saw how some of them took a deep, shuddering breath, holding it, then slowly releasing it, returning to the shallow breaths of the Hansa meditation.

He smiled slightly, and let his Legilimency loose. He was not very good at it, his skill mostly theoretical, with just the small amount of practice testing Ron and Hermione over the summer. As his senses flew out, he touched walls of steel here and there, he touched walls that were more like liquid than solid, and he also touched open minds, minds that held no secrets should he wish to read them.

He stopped himself from reading anything other than the stone wall thought. As his probe flew over one student, he frowned. The wall was solid, impenetrable. His gaze locked on the stoic appearance of Luna Lovegood, and his frown deepened. The girl fluttered her eyes open, and smiled at him.

He blinked in surprise, and her smile widened, before she closed her eyes and returned to the meditation. Her wall had not shifted, not once. Just as sudden, it _did_ shift.

It shifted into the smooth curve of a full Occlumency shield, smooth and full of energy, and Harry had not a doubt what it would cost him should he attempt to breach those walls. He smiled, shook his head, and returned to probing the rest of his students. This was going to be even more interesting than he had imagined.

He finished their lesson an hour or so later, when it became apparent to him that they were tiring. He smiled slightly to himself, well aware that he would get their stamina up in these types of exercises. Before she left, Harry asked Luna to stay behind.

When everyone else was gone, and only Ron, Hermione and Luna remained, harry motioned for the exit. "So, Luna," he began. "Since when have you been an Occlumens?" he asked as they walked in the direction of Ravenclaw tower.

Luna looked at him as she walked, and her usually dreamy look was decidedly less dreamy. "Father taught me when I was eight. I needed to protect myself from the mind-sucking effects of the zebals."

Harry smiled slightly, and it became a little less slight when he noticed the corner of her mouth quirk for just an instant. "In any case," he said, going on without comment, "your shields are probably as strong as mine, if not stronger, as you've been at this longer than I have."

She shrugged, and almost un-Luna motion for her. "Probably, but I am not going to teach the rest of them."

Ron and Hermione gaped at the girl. Harry just chuckled, and shook his head. "No matter how Luna you are, you're still in Ravenclaw," he said, grinning.

Luna just stared ahead of her, her dreamy look fixed on a point on the far wall. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he told her. "Luna?"

"Yes, Harry?" she said, re-focusing her large silver eyes on him.

"As you're an Occlumens, there is no reason for me to keep my abilities a secret from you. You are quite capable of protecting them." He glanced over his shoulder to Ron and Hermione, who were still gaping at the duo, unable to believe how naturally Harry was talking with Luna, nor how... _normal_ Luna sounded, all of a sudden. "My friends are probably dying to know more as well."

Luna just nodded. "They are your secrets, Harry," she replied. "I will hold them, as securely as a mother Zluton protects her cubs."

Harry smiled again when he noticed her lips quirk. "I'm assuming she's very protective?"

"Oh, very," Luna replied with total sincerity. By the time they got to the Ravenclaw tower, Ron and Hermione were about ready to kill Harry, as he kept asking and participating in the conversation with Luna. They knew more about Zlutons then they ever wanted to know, imaginary or not.

"How about we meet at seven, in the library?" Harry asked. "We can find an empty classroom then, and I can explain things."

Luna just nodded. "Seven is fine for me," she replied, quirked the edge of her lips again, and walking up the final set of stairs to the Ravenclaw Tower.

00000

When Harry went to bed that evening, he felt drained. That explanation had taken more out of him then he had liked. Before his head hit the pillow, he was asleep.

He awoke in his mindscape. Seeing Maya appear, he opened his shields for Ken.

"Good evening, Sensei, Maya," he greeted his guests. Maya smiled at him, while Ken remained her usual neutral self.

"Good evening, Harry," his teacher replied.

Harry drew a breath. "Sensei, something happened today."

Ken merely lifted an eyebrow, allowing him to continue. Harry drew another breath, steeling himself. "I lost my temper. Someone attacked me in the back... when I jumped aside, the spell would have struck one of my teachers. Instead of letting the teacher handle it, I jumped in, deviated the spell, and attacked the student."

Ken blinked. "How is the student?"

"He's fine. I did the same thing Maya once did to me... I gave him thirty seconds, then busted his shield, locked him down with Demon Magic, and threw a Rasengan next to his head."

Ken nodded. "So," she said, starting to circle him as he remained stiff. "You attacked a student."

"Yes, Sensei."

"A student who attacked you when your back was turned. And you dodged his spell, even if you could not see it."

"Yes, Sensei," Harry repeated.

"And when that spell was about to hit one of your teachers, you deviated the spell," she went on, continuing to circle him.

Harry swallowed. This was not going to be pretty; he could feel that in his bones. He just nodded. When she looked at his face, obviously waiting for an answer, he said, "Yes, Sensei."

"And then, you protected yourself for thirty seconds against his barrage of spells. And then, what spells, did you use?"

Harry gulped. "Yes, Sensei. I used a Kuzuryusen, a Six Rods Prison of Light, and a Rasengan."

Ken nodded, and continued her circling. "So, to recapitulate. You claim to have lost your temper, while keeping enough presence of mind to do complex magical deviation, against a spell you could not see approach, then used magical deviation protection for thirty seconds, followed by a medium-level Japanese spell, a higher-level Demon Magic spell, and a high-level Japanese finishing move?"

Harry nodded, thinking all of that didn't sound so bad, when stated in that fashion. "Yes, Sensei", he said, when it became apparent that she was looking at him again.

"And even though you claim to lose your temper, you retained enough control to neither hurt nor injure this student?"

"Yes, Sensei," Harry said, not knowing where she was going.

She stopped in front of him. "Harry, I hope this is the only kind of loss of control you will ever experience," she finally stated. "You did not lose control, my student. You were in perfect control over your own actions, but merely allowed yourself to listen to your emotions rather than to your mind. There is nothing wrong with that, especially when it is in the defence of others. You tried to protect your teacher, even though he or she probably did not need it, and you did it without injuring the student."

Harry nodded. "Thank you, Sensei."

She smiled slightly at him. "I don't anger easily, Harry. You'll need to do a lot more than this in order to get me angry."

"And you don't want to see Sensei angry," Maya said, smiling.

Harry just nodded, accepting that statement. "Sensei, I had a question... it's actually one posed to me by one of the people I'm teaching, and I think it's a pretty valid question."

Ken nodded, and Harry went on, "Sensei, why are you allowing me to teach other people? The person that asked me is Chinese, her parents tried to find a Sensei for her, but failed... and they then refused to teach her any of the Eastern Styles."

Ken nodded. "I'm not very traditional, Harry. I'd rather we all trained together, however, this is impossible. And besides, the things you are teaching your friends are the basics, the very basics. Like teaching someone a stunning spell... after all, I doubt you'd feel up to teaching the real power of the Easter Magics... Elemental control, Magic Deviation, Demon Magic. Am I right?"

Harry nodded, admitting that he did indeed, not feel up to teaching those kinds of techniques. "Everyone can learn a Kuzuryusen, Harry... the difference between it and a a Cutting Curse is small. But to learn how to use a Seal, or to use Demon Magic, that requires more than you can give."

Harry nodded once again. "I know, Sensei. And I understand."

"Good," Ken said, smiling. "Now, let's get down to training. I think you've rested enough... if you have the energy to fight classmates, you have energy for some real training. Begin by running around the lake. Then we'll get down to magic."

Harry nodded, and started running. Maya joined him after only five seconds, having received a silent nod from Ken.

"Hey, _Oneesan_," Harry said as he jogged.

"Hey yourself, _Oniisan_," she replied calmly.

"So, how come you didn't know about this?" Harry asked. "I thought you pretty much knew everything I did." He frowned. "And I know practically nothing of what you do. I wonder why that is."

Maya laughed. "I need to sleep, too, you know, _Oniisan_. And the reason you don't know everything about me is because I hide better then you do."

He looked at her as they ran, trusting his feet to find their own path. "What do you mean?"

"You shield yourself, true, and you have that part of Occlumency down... but the second part, the control of yourself, the control over your emotions, that's still eluding you," Maya said. "And that's why I feel you, your emotions come through the link. While I manage to contain most of myself within myself, and so, you don't feel me. Hang on a sec, I'll prove it." She closed her eyes, continuing to run. Soon, Harry felt a burst of laughter come through the link he shared with his magically bonded sister.

"Now I feel you!" he exclaimed. Maya laughed again, her laughter bubbling through his mind.

"Yes, and now you know why I prefer to feel you happy... you don't know how depressing it can be to have someone else' dark thoughts on the other side of a mindlink. And if I can make you happy, make you laugh, it feels so much better."

Harry nodded. "Sorry. I don't mean to..." he apologized. She waved it off, and her emotions vanished from his mind. Immediately, his world seemed to clear, only now he realized just how distracting someone else's emotions could be. "Wow. I really should get to shielding myself."

Maya smiled, and bumped him as they continued their run. "Don't worry, _Oniisan,_ I'll teach you, even if it kills you."

"Thanks, _Oneesan,_" he said, sincerely.

Maya just nodded. "Come on, we'd better move it, or Sensei will think we're taking it easy." She put forth a burst of speed without waiting for him, and Harry sprinted after her, laughing and screaming at her for cheating. She laughed back at him, pulling him forward, neither realizing that they were egging each other on.

When they finished, panting and sweating, Ken nodded in satisfaction. "Good. You're both warmed up. Today, some more martial arts practice, followed by magical deviation practice." She turned to Harry. "Would you mind sharing your memory of the fight earlier? It would show me where to work on."

Harry shrugged. "I don't see any problems with it," he said, although he did flush slightly.

"Remember, _Oniisan,_ sometimes, it's better to listen to your heart than your mind," Maya said gently, feeling his emotions.

He looked at her, and smiled ruefully. "I need to learn how to shield myself."

Ken smiled. "I see you two have a new project to work on. Now, first things first. Martial Arts practice. Harry, have you managed to do the First Draw yet?"

Harry shook his head, and lifted the sword from his hip. "I haven't, Sensei." He pulled on the handle, the sword coming clear until the very end, where it stuck. "I don't know where I fail."

Ken nodded. "Your heart, mind, body, and soul have not yet united, Harry. Your mind is still young, I unlocked it a mere two and a half months ago. Your body has not fully adapted to it yet. You don't know whether to listen to your heart or your mind, and it is creating conflict, and your soul is torn between them. Only when you are completely at peace with yourself, your strength, your limits, and your frailties will you be able to draw your sword, and bond with it."

Harry nodded, sheathing his sword once more. "For now, create a training blade... one of metal, if you would."

He frowned. This was the first time Ken had asked him to create a metal training blade. After putting the sword back on his hip, he lifted one hand, and created a dull, metal, training sword. Ken inspected it, and nodded. "Have you been keeping up your training during meditation? I hope you haven't been slacking off your martial arts in favour of magic?"

Harry shook his head. "No, Sensei," he replied honestly. "I have tried to keep up my training, but without an opponent, it is rather difficult to see my progress."

His teacher nodded. "I know. That is why, today, you will be training against Maya. Maya?" she asked, turning to her first Apprentice. Maya nodded, and materialized a dagger in her right hand. Ken smiled slightly. "Maya is very good a Defence. She's almost up to my level, and that after a mere half decade of training. She is a natural born defender."

Harry just nodded, and looked at his sister as she played with the dagger, making it flip over and over as she twirled it around. He grasped his training blade. She smiled, the dagger remaining in her right hand.

He struck, fast and precise, just as his instincts guided him to do. Maya stepped aside, and blocked his strike. He could see the shock travel through her body, and she frowned slightly. "Woa, you pack a punch, _Oniisan_!"

He smiled. "_Domo arigatou, Oneesan,"_ he replied in Japanese. (a/n here I go again with the Japanese... Harry just said, what would translate to 'Thank you very much, Sister'.)

He flung his sword around, and struck at her other side. Again, she blocked it. Stepping forward, he flung a downward strike against her head, and she darted aside, nimbly. Halfway down, however, he shifted his strike, and flung a horizontal slash at her side. Again, she blocked it, her dagger and his training sword clashing so hard that sparks were struck and metal rung like bells. Once again, he shifted, and attacked her other side. Again and again, she blocked.

Concerned, Harry pressed on, never once suffering a single attack from her. She was defending, and defending was all she did. It unnerved him.

Finally, he broke off, panting deeply, the strength and stamina required to keep up a sword fight draining him. Maya too, was breathing deeply, sweat on her forehead. "You really pack a punch, _Oniisan,_" she said, panting. Her dagger shifted to her left hand. "Never mind, though," she added, grinning.

Harry frowned. He did not like that look on her face. "Attack," she said, urging him on with her right hand.

He swallowed, and struck. Her left hand guided the dagger through the air, and a bell-like toll rung across the skies. Harry felt his sword catapult in the other direction, and he barely kept his balance.

"What the...?" Harry asked, bringing his sword up again. Maya smirked, her panting decidedly less. "Attack me, Brother," she stated in flawless English.

"Here I come, Sister," he replied in pure Japanese. He flung his sword at her. Again, the bell-like sound rang across the skies, and he felt his sword go in the opposite direction. Maya smirked, and lifted her left hand, the dagger pointing to the skies.

"The personal defensive techniques of the Emperors of Japan, the Left Hand," she stated. "I will turn your sword, and your strength, against you." Her smirk widened. "Attack me."

Harry smiled. "You're cheating again, _Oneesan,_" he whispered, charging her.

Five minutes later, he was panting heavier, while Maya was looking as fresh as ever. "You... recuperated... while I... drained," he panted.

Maya smirked, and nodded. "As I turn the speed and direction of your sword, I am not using my strength, but your own strength and stamina. However... as good as I am at defence, it will not defeat an opponent."

Her left hand struck out, the dagger going for him. Harry danced out of the way. _She's FAST!_ His eyes wide in surprise, he was next forced to dance the opposite direction as she struck at his other side. Her lithe form and the faster dagger completely sealed his larger body and his large metal training sword. He was unable to block her strikes, all he could do was dance away. He needed to increase his distance to her, allow for the range of his weapon to come into play, but that was not nearly as easy as it sounded in his mind, and soon, he found himself on the ground, having tripped over his own feet in his haste, her dagger at his throat as she loomed over him.

"So, what did we learn?" Ken asked as she helped Harry up.

"Maya is wicked fast," he grunted. "And a small weapon, with lesser range, will beat a large weapon when used with sufficient skill and speed."

Ken nodded. "Speed and skill will overcome the odds in weapons," she said in agreement. "And sufficient technique falls under skill. What did Maya do that got you off-balance? You were doing fine for a while."

Harry had caught his breath by now. "She used that Left Hand technique, and turned my own weapon against me."

Ken nodded. "And we will teach it to you." She smiled slightly. "However, Harry, it will depend on you whether you will master it... it requires the use of the opposite hand of the opponent. That means that you will be forced to use your left hand against right-handed opponents. Using your left hand will have to become as easy as using your right hand... and that is something that most people never master."

Harry just nodded. "I am ready."

"Not today, my young apprentice," Ken said, smiling. "Now, Magical Deviation. Can you show us your memory?"

Harry showed them. By the time it was over, both Ken and Maya were looking thoughtful.

"It seems you're able to deviate magic in a low-powered fight," Ken said. "However, your direction needs a lot of work."

Harry frowned. "I thought I did pretty well, Sensei," he replied. "I kept the spells away from the others."

Ken nodded. "You got the general direction down. However, as your continued failure at Spellis shows, you're still lacking in finesse." She motioned around. "Create ten targets, put them in a large semicircle in front of you."

Harry looked toward a large grassy area, and created the requested targets. Because he had a fair idea what was to happen, he made them fairly large, which, coincidentally, forced him to create quite a large semicircle... and thus put them further away from him.

Ken nodded. "Maya?"

Maya replied with a single nod, and stepped to the semicircle. Standing on the baseline of it, facing him, she brandished her staff. Because of her position, and the size of the targets and the semicircle he had created, he was able to see each and every target.

"Nothing fancy," Ken said, and Maya dipped her head, hefting her staff.

"Now, Harry. I want you to deviate each of Maya's spells, and return them to the targets. Hitting the target is good, hitting closer to centre is better, hitting the bull's eye is what you're aiming for."

Harry gulped loudly, and nodded. He took his own staff. The first spell was a low-powered straight-forward stunning spell. He began the deviation, and the spell spun off, hitting a tree to his side. He grimaced, just in time to see a low-powered hex come at him. Again, he deviated it away from everyone, this time at least hitting it in the general direction of the targets; missing by a mere ten centimetres.

He groaned. The third spell was another stunner; he at least hit the target that time.

"Stop, Maya," Ken said, walking up to Harry, and standing behind him.

"You're too focused on the Western Ways," Ken said as she stood behind him. "Do not force the magic; rather, work with it, make it flow through you like water."

Harry swallowed, and nodded. "Lift your staff, Harry," Ken's voice stated from behind him, and he lifted his staff into defensive position. To his surprise, her left hand placed itself on his left arm, while her right arm reach around, her right hand placing itself on top of his wrist.

"The movement is fluid and even, not a jerky motion," she said, her hand gently pushing his wrist in the movements required. "Release just a little but of your magic, you're not casting a spell here. You're merely learning the movement... overcoming the force of the spell is for another lesson."

He followed her direction, the fluid movement feeling a lot more natural to him now that he had her guidance for a couple of test-runs. "Maya, just one stunner."

Maya nodded, and shot another low-powered stunner. Ken's hand guided Harry through the motion as he focused on his magic. Just a little flowed from his fingertips into his staff. The spell deviated perfectly, and struck the first target, just a little off-centre.

"Better," Ken said, pulling back. "Maya? Another one."

Maya lobbed another. Harry deviated it, this time focusing on the magic and the movement both. It struck the first target, hitting about halfway between the edge and the centre. Ken nodded in satisfaction. "Well done," she said calmly, making him glow inside with her praise.

"Maya, continue," she said, walking back to the side. "Harry, try and hit each target in succession."

Harry nodded silently, focusing on the spells that were to come. The first stunner hit the first target. The second spell was the tickling hex she had used earlier, and he deviated it into the second target, barely scraping the edge of it. Somehow, the hex deviated differently than the stunner did.

"Good, keep rotating the spells," Ken said. "Harry, each spell is different. Learn how to see where it will end up as you deviate it."

Now Harry had three things to focus on. First, do _not_ overpower the deviation. Second, make a _fluid_ motion. And now, third, _read_ the incoming spell and figure out how to deviate it properly. Now that he thought about it, a lot of the spells Malfoy had cast at him had ended up somewhere else than he had intended. He felt rather ashamed now, any one of those spells could have hit an innocent bystander.

His eyes narrowed as he felt his determination rise. Never again would he endanger anyone else.

Never again.

The third spell was a petrification spell, and he slapped it in the correct target.

About an hour later, the spells were coming at a fast pace, and Harry finally figured out how to read his opponent's spells. Maya started adding a couple of narrow loops to her spells, making them act all irregular, and Harry had to figure out how to read them. Still her spells were low-powered, the focus more on technique rather than strength.

Ken nodded finally, after his nightly training session came to a halt. He guessed he had been busy for a good four hours already. "That was a good training, Harry," Ken said. "I'll be returning now... I still have a couple of things I must do."

Harry bowed. "Thank you, Sensei. I've learned a lot."

Ken returned the bow. "You're an excellent student, my second apprentice. Good night." She vanished with those words.

"So... Harry," Maya said, grinning. "Last time, you sucked at Spellis. Want to try again?"

Harry grinned. "Sure!"

It was another two hours later that Maya returned, and Harry felt the night catch up to him; he had not slept, not really. His mind had been incredibly active for the last six hours, pumping new training into his body. He needed rest, and energy.

Closing his eyes in his mindscape, he focused on the triple Ley Line that was present under Hogwarts. It used to take five long minutes of concentration in order to tap into the Line. But now... now, all it took was a mere ten seconds. He hoped to be able to pull it off instantaneously at some point, and so he kept practising. Tapping into the Line, even barely, filled him with power and a sense of purpose, and Harry felt as if he had slept all night.

He knew better than to do it every night, however... who knew how easily one might become addicted to this rush? He had heard of the non-magical drugs, and he was sure that there were hidden temptations like that in the magical world as well. The last thing he wanted was to end up some magical junkie, constantly tapped into some Ley Line for his 'fix'.

00000

Ron awoke with a strange golden light in the room. As he cracked open his eyes, he glanced around, not tired enough to realize that it was too early for the sun to bother him. Pulling back the curtain around his bed, he noticed that his room mates, Neville, Dean, and Seamus were still asleep, their curtains closed and snores coming from behind them.

What had woken him, however, came from behind the curtain that was sealing off the bed of his best friend, Harry Potter. The curtains were dancing, and a soft golden light shone above and below them, casting ghostly shadows on the wall. At once he realized that the light must have shone through one of the cracks in his own curtains and woke him up that way.

He frowned; he did not know what would have caused that light, and he was not so sure he wanted to know.

However, this was the bed of his best mate. Maybe he was in trouble?

Slowly, he got out of bed, and shivered as his bare feet touched the cold floor. He made his way to Harry's bed.

"Harry, mate? You okay in there?" he asked, worriedly. Not receiving an answer, he pulled the curtain back.

He almost screamed. There sat Harry Potter, in perfect lotus position, as he showed them during their meditation classes, shining in golden light, wind tugging at the curtains and clothes. That was not what made Ron take a step back.

It was the paleness of Harry's skin, the darkness that surrounded his eyes, the deep colour that made his veins contrast against the alabaster of his skin.

"Harry?" Ron asked again, not loud enough to wake the others. He didn't know if Harry wanted the rest to see him like this... he guessed not. "Harry, wake up, mate!"

Harry shuddered, the wind and the glow falling away. At once, his skin and appearance took on a more normal tone. "Ron?" Harry asked, sounding rather out of it. "What is it?"

"Mate, you were glowing," Ron grunted, too stunned to be able to say anything but the sheer truth.

Harry just stared at him. "Glowing?" he finally asked.

"With lots of bloody nifty wind-effects, too!" his best friend blurted. "Bloody hell, mate, is that what you're like you when you're meditating now?"

Harry shook his head, unable to lie to his friend. He drew a breath. "No, that was something else," he replied, resigned. He had to admit that he had struck an impasse in trying to figure out the Ley Lines, and he had to admit that he needed help. Hermione would be a great help in the research department, Harry mused, and Ron would be able to help him look at things in a different spotlight. Harry finally looked up at Ron, who was still staring at him with a look of shock on his face. "Mate, I will explain. But, can you with until tonight?"

For a moment, Ron looked as if he wanted to drag the answer out of Harry, right here and now, but the intense mental training he had undergone the last month and a half had changed him. "I guess I have no choice, then," he said, grinning.

Harry smiled as well, and got out of bed. He cast _tempus_ silently, and threw a look at the clock. Seeing that it was almost six, he nodded. "Listen, mate. I've realized something," Harry said, pressing on, as he walked passed Ron and looked out one of the windows. "I can't cut it like this. I need to train." He turned back to Ron. "Starting today, I'm starting to train. I'm going to change, go out there, and run around the lake."

Ron stared at Harry as if he had lost his mind; his mouth imitating a fish's most curious movements before he caught himself. "Have you lost your bloody mind?" Ron hissed. "Why would you do something as daft as that?"

Harry smiled slightly, having expected a reaction like that from the pureblooded Ron. "Because, mate, one day, we might not have magic to help us, and on that day, having the physical strength and endurance might just save our lives."

Ron was silent, before nodding, acknowledging the truth in that statement. "But still, there is no way you're getting me up at six in the bloody morning," Ron said. "I'm up too early right now." He let out a yawn to punctuate his remark. "I'm crawling back into bed."

Harry grinned, and vanished into the bathroom. Five minutes later, dressed solely in his dragonhide, his school robes thrown over one arm, he walked out. Ron, who miraculously enough was still awake, stared after him.

"So that's what's with the gloves," Ron grunted, finally having the question on Harry's perpetual gloves answered. Shrugging, he turned around and went back to sleep.

00000

An hour later, after a hot shower and a _scourgify_ on his dragonhide armour, Harry walked into the Great Hall with Ron and Hermione. Noticing Luna sitting by herself at the Ravenclaw table, he motioned for his friends to go ahead. Ron and Hermione threw him a look as they went to the Gryffindor table. Harry shrugged, and walked to the Ravenclaw one, and bent close to Luna.

"Good morning, Luna," he greeted the strange blonde.

Luna seemed to startle, before turning and gracing him with her usually spacey smile. "Good morning, Harry," she replied.

"Do you have time to meet us at seven in the Library? There's something I could use your help with," Harry asked.

Luna seemed to check something on a mental checklist, before nodding. "Of course, Harry." She blinked, and seemed to become more aware of her surroundings. Harry guessed her Occlumency had just been turned down a bit. "Does it have something to do with..." she glanced at his sword.

Harry smiled. "Something like that. But I can't explain where everyone can overhear."

Luna's dreamy look returned. "Of course. The Burklangs might overhear and hand out your secrets to everyone." She smiled. "They're the ones responsible for secrets getting out."

Harry smiled, and nodded. "Then it's a good thing I have you, as Burklang expert, to keep us safe."

Luna just nodded, a strange twinkle in her eyes and a quirk tugging at her lips. "Anyway," Harry said, straightening up. "I'll see you later."

Luna returned his nod. "And I will see you as well."

Harry chuckled at that parting line as he made his way back to the Gryffindor table. Luna could always be counted on to make him smile. He liked that about her.

That evening, after dinner, Harry, Ron, and Hermione made their way to the library, where they sat down and waited for Luna to join them.

"It's weird, you know, that we're spending more time here waiting for people then we ever were studying," Ron said to Harry, who chuckled. Hermione just shot them an angry glance, and was about to berate them when Luna appeared, wearing her spaced-out look that Harry now recognised as a state of utmost Occlumency.

He got up, Ron and Hermione following his example without being told to. "Let's find an empty classroom," Harry said as they walked out of the library. He couldn't help himself and nodded respectfully at Madam Pince, the Librarian. Ever since he started learning from Mahou mo Ken, and the knowledge transfer she had dumped into his subconscious, he found his respect for those who were his teachers increasing. Except for one Severus Snape, of course, but that had more to do with the fact that the man was a total git.

The first classroom they came across, they entered.

And exited immediately after. Ron and Hermione stared at Harry as he motioned them for silence, and guided them instead of a lesser-used classroom a couple of hallways down. Luna merely smiled serenely, and soon after, Harry had closed the door.

"Harry Potter, Plasmatizer, asks the Seal... What are you?" he whispered, six blanks seals suddenly appearing in between his fingers. His his friends, Luna included, took a step back when obvious power burned in his eyes as he channelled six seals at the same time.

The six conjoined voices boomed through the room as the large black Kanji sign filled the previously empty seals. _We are what hides that which you seek to hide. We are Privacy, and we are Locking!_

Six Seals flashed away from Harry's hand, one going to each of the walls, while one went to the ceiling and one attached itself to the floor. They flashed, and the six walls to the room starting glowing with golden-green energy.

Harry drew a deep breath, then threw a locking charm at the door. He grinned. "That first room had a monitoring charm stuck to the ceiling. I'm sure that my Seals would have overcome it... but whoever was monitoring it would have heard me charge the seals before it went out."

Luna stared at the shining wall, and touched it. "This is really powerful magic," she stated.

Harry shrugged. "Not really. Just based on different principles. It has the downside of being hardly inconspicuous, plus it takes its good time to charge up. As always, things has an up and a downside."

Luna shrugged, accepting this.

"Now," Ron said. "We've heard about the Seals before, and Hermione and me have seen it used before. What is this about you glowing in the middle of the night?"

"Glowing?" Hermione asked.

"Did you get attacked by Wilwartles?" Luna asked, sounding concerned.

Harry shook his head. "No, no Wilwartles. Now, this is something else... and I've hit a roadblock. I need your help to figure things out." He drew another breath, and explained about the Ley Lines, and how he found that he could tap them.

"Really?" Hermione asked, frowning as her mind kicked into high gear. "Being a Druid, or having a Druid's abilities would surely be a great help. I haven't read about anyone being able to tap into that power since the Druids died, over sixteen hundred years ago. Of course, there are other ways to tap into the Ley Lines, like warding, or Runes, for instance, but to tap into the Lines directly..."

Harry interrupted her. "Exactly. A lot of potential. Unfortunately, I can't do it quickly, and even if that wasn't an issue, once I have tapped into them, I have no clue what to do with it."

"How did you figure out you can tap lines?" Hermione asked. "Maybe there's something there. I mean, I don't think you just decided to go out and tap a line, did you?"

Harry shook his head. "No, I didn't. It was during the creating of my staff... I overreached, and I was dying by my own spell, it was draining me dry... I needed more power, and somehow, I tapped a line. Nearly burned myself to death, channelling the Line's power into the spell. My room stunk with ozone for days."

Hermione frowned, silently nodding. "I think there is your answer, Harry," she finally said. "You can do whatever you want with it, as if it were your own magical energy... but you will need to learn to control the amount of magic you drain from it."

Harry shrugged. "I can see that... but I don't want to go around, experimenting with this without knowing more about it."

"I will research it," Hermione said immediately.

"There's little in the library, and I have read those already," Harry said.

"Then I'll go to Flourish and Blotts, and order more books," Hermione said, grinning, feeling in her element.

"I'll ask my family," Ron said. "Bill's a cursebreaker, he's an expert on warding, maybe he knows something. And who knows, maybe there are some old things going around in the family that might help."

Luna nodded. "I will ask my father as well. I am sure he has information about the Druids. I haven't heard from it, but it is possible they may have survived. No organisation ever really dies... its knowledge may be somewhere, buried, and if you were to uncover it, they may be resurrected."

Harry and Hermione stared at Luna, while Ron grinned madly. "Imagine the fun," he finally said, turning to Harry. "You may be a Druid. The first one since forever." His eyes took on a mad glint. "Care to teach us that, too?"

harry glanced at the people present. "After Occlumency," he said. "And only you three. I am planning on keeping this from Voldemort. Imagine his surprise if he gets a mouth full of Line Energy."

Ron, Hermione, and Luna nodded. "We'll keep this a secret between the four of us," they promised. Harry nodded his gratitude.

00000

The man once known as Tom Marvolo Riddle, now known better as Voldemort, was sitting on the throne-like chair, quietly contemplating his next move, when a dark-brown barn owl came flying in. Recognising the Hogwarts owl, the Dark Lord sat up straighter and took the note off the owl's leg.

_My lord,_

_Today was announced that, in two weeks time, a Hogsmeade weekend will be organised. _

_We have done our best, and discovered through surveillance under Disillusionment that HP will indeed be going, along with most of his friends._

_We also wish to note that HP seems to be growing in influence, as well as power. _

_When we stuck a listening charm to the couple of classrooms he and his friends were prone to using, he discovered it within moments._

_As I was Disillusioned, I followed them to another classroom, but was prevented from listening in by a privacy charm of unbelievable strength. Forgive me, Lord, for I must have done something wrong with the Listening Charms you yourself have taught the both of us, as I was unable to penetrate the walls of silence HP had thrown up._

_You servant,_

_DG_

Voldemort frowned. He trusted his extra spies, had supervised their training personally. They had not yet been Marked, a move he had made to protect their covers should it become needed, and he knew the strength they held. If they could not penetrate the privacy wards that brat threw up, he was sure that it would take at least one of the teachers to get through it.

His hand clenched, the parchment roasted under his power. He knew that his spy had written the note for her colleague as well, noting the difference between plural and singular forms, and assumed that his second spy had nothing to add to the report.

"Wormtail!" Voldemort growled.

The cowering rat-faced man bowed low as he rushed before his master. "Yes, Master?"

"Arm," Voldemort ordered, holding out one of his hands. Shivering, Wormtail complied, holding out the arm containing the Dark Mark. As his Master grabbed it, he screamed as his master's wand was pressed against it, summoning his Inner Circle to him.

Barely ten minutes later, his Inner circle was assembled before him, and Voldemort looked up from his pensive state. "I have received notice that another Hogsmeade weekend is planned at Hogwarts." He looked at the faces of his trusted Death Eaters. The arrogant and aristocratic Lucius Malfoy. The insane yet beautiful Bellatrix Lestrange. Her husband, Rudolphos Lestrange. His brother, Rastaban.

And, of course, Wormtail. Yes, Voldemort had to admit, the little rat has its uses. He had been there, lived with his target and his friends for so long, knew their moves, their habits. And the snivelling coward was good at one thing... doing what was needed to save his skin. And as such, Voldemort knew that the rat-man's loyalty was assured for as long as he remained on the top of the food chain.

Voldemort smirked at that thought.

That would be forever.

"In two weeks, I want you, Lucius, to lead the raid on the village. Take fifty Death Eaters, and attack... and I want you to kidnap as many of little Harry's friends as you can. Leave him alive, if you can... and free, too. I want him to go insane with worry over what we will do to his precious friends." Voldemort then grew a sadistic smile. "On second thought... focus on his female friends. It will increase the burden." He glanced at Wormtail. "Am I correct, Wormtail?"

"O-of course, Master!" Wormtail snivelled. "He feels very protective of his friends, the female ones even more so! He always tried to keep them out of danger."

Voldemort nodded with satisfaction. "Excellent. I want you to plan this out, you who are my most trusted lieutenants."

They all glanced at each other, a glint of satisfaction in their eyes. All of them knew there was one person missing here... Severus Snape. The same Severus Snape that had fallen from grace when the Potions Master had returned before their master, and said master had seen how Harry Potter had gotten the best of the man.

They bowed deeply, and left the room upon their master's signal. They had a battle to plan.

00000

Harry drew a deep breath when he reached the outskirts of Hogsmeade village. Closing his eyes momentarily, he savoured the sweet smell of freedom. He opened his eyes, and smiled at the friends that were accompanying him: Ron, Hermione, Luna, Neville, even Ginny.

They all smiled back, and made their way deeper into the village.

Of course, Hermione dragged them to the book store first. Knowing that she was probably looking for reference materials concerning the Druids, Harry did not resist too much. A shared glance with Ron stopped his arguments as well. Neville was his usual self, and was okay with just about anything. Luna was staring at some cloud or other, yet Harry knew that she was probably more aware of everything that was going around them then his friends. As she did not complain, he took it as a good sign. Ginny protested almost as much as her brother had, but it too, stopped soon after, when Harry promised that their next stop would be the Quidditch Supplies store.

Entering the book store, the small group split up. Harry managed to sneak Ron and Hermione with him. "Any luck?" he asked when they reached the book of the store, where the oldest and most rare of the books were located.

Ron shook his head. "I haven't found anything out yet," he replied.

Hermione shook her head as well. "It seems you were right, the library has precious little information on Druidism, and their way of magic."

Harry sighed. "No worries," he said. "Let's see if we can find anything in here."

When they left the story, about half an hour later, Hermione was carrying five books she proclaimed to 'hold promise'. Harry took it as a good sign, even if the things were written in Ancient Runes, a subject he himself had never gotten a single lesson on. This was going to be a Hermione-only project, it seemed.

After the book store came the Quidditch shop, which lifted Ron and Ginny's spirits, even Harry felt better looking at the new and shiny brooms on display. They didn't spend any money there this day, but the half an hour spent relaxing helped Harry immensely.

They ended up in the Three Broomsticks, each holding a butterbeer, and simply enjoying the company. Even Luna's airy comments didn't rattle Hermione, and Harry was inwardly chuckling at some of the theories Luna came up with. Aware as he was now of the immense Occlumency shield she was keeping up, her odd behaviour made an odd sort of sense now. He had been warned that keeping his shields on full power could have serious effects on his mind. Now he knew what the result could be... even if it was highly amusing.

He found himself liking Luna because of it, rather than in spite of it, her way of looking at things making his smile and laugh when there was precious little to smile or laugh about these days.

They had a wonderful time together, drinking the butterbeer that the three Broomsticks was known for, laughing, joking, talking.

Mid-laugh, Harry suddenly broke off. Something had triggered the outer edges of his mental awareness, and his shields had tightened into a hard ball. Ever since Snape had tried to attack him, Harry had worked on the sensitivity of his sensors, tying them directly into his shields, so they would activate automatically. Never again would it take him precious seconds to do it himself. Maya had been impressed... and had promptly copied his technique.

But now, something had triggered his sensors. His shields had tightened. Harry frowned, and looked at the front of the pub, trying to figure out what had happened. His shields did _not_ tighten by themselves.

The group present, seeing Harry go from laughing and carefree to cold and distant in the passing of just a single moment, glanced between each other, confused, wondering what was going on.

Harry looked around the group, finally registering they were still there. When he came to Luna, she held his gaze. "They've Apparated in," Luna stated.

Harry nodded. "You can feel them too? I lost contact."

Luna shrugged, then dipped her head once. "Just like the Crumple-Horned Snorkack. I know they're there, but I can't see them."

Harry frowned. "This is not good." He stood up, Luna following automatically. The rest of the group, confused, followed a couple of seconds later, not really knowing what was going on.

"Death Eaters have gotten into the village," Harry said, low enough so they weren't overheard. "We need to get out of here."

The group gasped, and it was Hermione who spoke first. "The fastest way..."

"Will probably be blocked," Harry said, calmly. His eyes glittered dangerously, though. Once again, he looked around the group. "Ron, Hermione. Neville, you're with Ginny. Luna, you're with me. Always look out for the back of your partner. Defend them, as they will defend you. I've broken us up in groups that complement each other... keep each other balanced, don't get riled up, and whatever happens... do not get killed."

The confusion over Harry's take-charge attitude ebbed away, and the people present nodded. "The goal is to get help, then get to the castle. Survival is the name of the game, being a hero doesn't come into this," he said, finally, and they nodded again. And then... he took out a Galleon.

He rearranged the numbers on it, changing them to date and time, here and now. He just hoped that there was still someone in the village who had his or her fake Galleon with them. Hermione frowned, took out her own, then grinned at Harry.

"I just hope the DA is still checking theirs. If they're here, we could use their help," Harry said as they made their way to the door.

Just as they reached it, it was blown in, three Death Eaters following right behind it, shooting Unforgiveables everywhere.

Harry, the closest to the door, had pushed his friends down with him as he flew, and as such, saved their lives as they all went down in a tangled heap of arms and legs. Already his staff was pointing at them.

_Intent is what brings the result of a spell,_ Harry heard Ken quote in his mind. He gritted his teeth when he saw a mother and father mowed down with Avada Kedavra while trying to protect a young girl. He didn't think at that moment, and just pointed his staff, his spell fuelled by emotion rather than thought. "_Kuzuryusen!"_

The first Death Eater slipped apart after the spell washed over him, arms, legs, torso and head slipping to the ground separately. Harry had stood up meanwhile, and brandished his staff at death Eater number two. Again, he cast his spell, but this man was ready for him, and blocked the spell using a Protego Shield. Harry growled, and started casting.

At the same time, his friends had gotten up as well, and were now brandishing their wands against Death Eater number three, who was, just like his colleague, too busy protecting to be able to cast another Killing Curse.

Luna, doing as Harry had asked, was casting at the same guy Harry was, keeping him busy while Harry charged the Kuzuryusen strikes that had become his new trademark spell.

Finally, a startled scream later, the second Death Eater slipped into pieces on the ground. Fighting the rising bile and the horror he felt over killing two people, Harry turned to the last Death Eater.

The man was on the ground now, the result of a Full Body-Bind(Hermione), two Boils curses(Ron and Neville), and a Bat-Bogey Hex(Ginny). Harry drew a breath, and stunned the man. "He can be revived later," he said. "I just hope it'll be our side that revives him, and not the Death Eaters."

They slipped out of the Three Broomsticks, and into the empty Main Street. To the left, they could see Hogsmeade Station, beyond which lay Hogwart's lake and the trail that led up to the school proper. To the right, they could see the smoke rising from where various business had been hit with incendiary charms.

Harry's hand clenched around his staff, and he was about to run off to the right, when Luna said, "The Flitterwitters are out today."

Harry blinked; everyone stared at her. She nodded her head, indicting the clear blue sky. "They eat clouds."

Unable to help himself, Harry looked up to the clear blue sky, and indeed, there was not a cloud in sight. He looked back down, staring at her. Right as Hermione was about to launch into a lecture, Luna smiled.

"Are you calm now, Harry? That was my job, wasn't it? To keep you calm, stop you from doing something stupid?"

Harry sighed, and nodded. "Thanks, Luna."

She smiled slightly. "You were about to run into the village, weren't you?"

Harry nodded. "Anyway," he said. "We need to get back to Hogwarts. We can't stay here."

Just as he spoke those words, the door of the house in front of them burst from its hinges, blasted from the inside out. Apparantly, the Death Eaters had been allowed entrance at one point, and were now in the process of tearing the place to shreds.

For just a few seconds, the six friends stared at the two Death Eaters that exited the building, neither believing that the other group just showed up like that.

Harry launched the first spell, and the Death Eaters blocked it admirably.

Harry and his friends immediately realized that these Death Eaters were of a different calibre than the ones now lying inside the Three Broomsticks. Those men had led with Unforgiveables. These Death Eaters, however, were cool and composed, using nonverbal spells to hide their casting, and decreasing their casting time.

As the group ducked back into the Three Broomsticks, Harry found out the limit of his training... as his magical deviation was met with the incredible force of a spell cast at full power by a fully trained dark Wizard. He barely managed to deflect the spells as his friends ran back into one by one. He slammed the door closed behind him, and immediately slammed an imperturbable charm on it, to try and strengthen it.

He cursed under his breath. "They're powerful, I can barely knock their spells aside," Harry grunted as the barrage tore into the door. "And my Japanese spells are too slow."

Ron glanced at Harry, then at the group. "You've got the most chance out of all of us to take them down, mate," the redhead spoke. "We'll create a diversion."

Harry was about to protest when Hermione cut him off. They were all in this together, and if them creating a diversion for Harry was the best way to go forward, then so be it. Harry nodded, not feeling up to arguing with his friends, even as the door was torn to splinters.

Immediately, the group jumped up, Harry going first to cover for his friends exiting. As soon as the others had cleared the building, so they could use their superior numbers, they started lying into the Death Eaters.

But these were highly training Death Eaters; Harry felt his power wane as he pushed more and more power into deviating the spells coming at him. As his friends starts casting, the death Eaters put up shields, and returned fire.

Stepping back, Harry focused. His Rasengan packed quite a punch, but his magic-leak was atrocious, and it lost more than three-quarters of its power while going for the target. He needed more control before he could use that under combat conditions.

His left hand came up. A blank Seal appeared

Artillery magic, indeed.

"Harry Potter, Plasmatizer, asks the Seal, what are you?"

The Japanese voice boomed through the sky, startling the Death Eaters into inactivity for just a few seconds. "I am Burning Hell, bringing Punishment to the Wicked! I ride through the Skies in a Chariot of Fire!"

The Fireball flashed from the Seal in Harry's left hand, and struck the Death Eater on the right, tearing through his shield and blackening his skin. The man fell over, dead.

_Yet another death on my conscience,_ Harry thought bitterly.

And here, yet another downside of the Seals made itself known... for the answer generated by the Seal boomed across the battlefield, attracting their opponent's comrades. Harry cursed on his breath again; and flung his staff around, closing his eyes and focusing on his magic.

Transfiguration was not a problem for him since Ken started teaching him how to manipulate magic on a more basic level. The ground before them warped, creating a stone barrier they could hide behind.

But that still left their one opponent, for the moment kept at bay by a continuous barrage of spells, forcing the man to cast and re-cast his shields constantly, not allowing him the time to cast any offensive spells.

Harry threw the head of his staff in the Death Eater's direction. "Kuzuryusen!"

This time, the spell tore the man's shield, but it did not reduce him to sliced and diced Human Being. Rather, it produced deep gashes that were debilitating and hurt terribly, but were mostly non-fatal.

Mostly.

The man was in definite need of a Healer. Hermione cast a blood-clotting charm, preventing the man from dying of blood loss, but keeping him sufficiently incapacitated to make sure he wouldn't come up and shoot them in the back.

"We're in deep trouble," Harry grunted. "It will only take them a few moments to start apparating over."

Ron, ducking behind the wall, next to Harry, nodded grimly. "Quite a pickle, mate."

Hermione, Ginny, Luna, and Neville ducked low as well.

"So, what do we do, Harry?" Neville asked. "Do we go back, or do we stay and help?"

Harry wanted to say, stay and help, but deep inside, he knew it was best to go back to the castle. His friends could see the inner war raging as they saw his face pull and twitch. "We should go back to the castle," Harry grunted, glancing at the wall. The spell-casting and the screams were filling the air. Harry's fist balled. "So much death," he grunted, thinking nobody heard him.

"It isn't your fault, nor your responsibility," Luna said from next to him. He blinked at her. How did she know what he was thinking? She blinked back at him, and smiled slightly. "Death comes to us all, Harry," she said, calmly. "But some of us have the luxury of being able to chose our time and place."

Harry swallowed, before finally nodding. "You're right." He held out his empty left hand. Three seals appeared. "I can only cast these if I can see the target," he said. "Can you generate a distraction? I can take out three of them with these."

His friends nodded grimly. The dead Death Eaters, the dying Death Eater, and the one trussed-up Death Eater, coupled with Luna's speech, had instilled the truth of the situation into them. At the count of three, they sprung up, and Harry took a step back, beginning his incantation, holding the Seals out.

He almost stopped when a Bludgeoning Hex came at him, only to be blocked by a Banished piece of rubble. Luna had just saved him... He could not even spare the word to thank her. He could not interrupt his incantation.

"Harry Potter, Plasmatizer-" This time, it was some sort of cutting hex. Once again, Luna covered him. He glanced at his friends for just a second. They were in teams, covering each other, just as he had asked. He felt pride in them and their accomplishments.

"-asks the Seals-" He almost stopped casting when he saw a Lung-crushing Curse sail toward Luna. It was _his_ job to cover her! She blocked it with a summoned piece of his wall. Now she had less wall to cover behind.

"-what are you!?" His voice was booming in and by itself, the magic in him taking hold as the Seals activated.

"_**We are Burning Hell, bringing Punishment to the Wicked! We ride through the Skies in Chariots of Fire!" **_

Three Fireballs lashed out, one directly after another, striking three Death Eaters to the ground. Just as Harry felt the euphoria of a job well-done go through him, he heard the tell-tale pops of multiple Apparations behind him.

He turned immediately, just as his friends did, his focus already on his next spell.

He took his eyes off Luna for one second.

One second was all it took.

His target was on the ground, bleeding, when her voice reaching him. He turned, looked, and saw her fall, Petrified, into the arms of a Death Eater. The man looked up, meeting Harry's eyes, and even though his face was hidden by a mask, Harry could swear that he was smiling.

His staff came up.

"Harry!"

Harry ducked, and rolled, a Bone-Crushing hex barely missing him. He looked up, and saw the Death Eater vanish around the corner, bearing Luna. For one fleeting second, Harry was glad that the man obviously hadn't heard of Forced Apparition, nor of Portkeys. He wouldn't be able to track them, then.

He got up, his right hand clenched on his staff. It lashed out in the direction of the Death Eater that had tried to curse him. "Electrifius," he muttered under his breath, the bolt of electricity striking the man dead-on, smiting his shield to pieces, and throwing him back, residual energy pulsing over his body.

"I'm going after Luna," he stated coldly, glancing at his friends. "She's my partner."

Ron nodded. "We'll come with you, mate," he stated firmly.

"No," Harry said, coldly. "You go back to the Castle. That's your job. Mine's to Luna. I had to cover her back, and I failed. Never again." He turned, and walked off, before setting in a full run. In just a few moments, he was glad that he had started running around the lake in the mornings. He'd never be able to run like this otherwise.

As he turned the corner, he felt his legs catch his robes. Stumbling three steps and managing to remain upright, Harry cursed under his breath. _Stupid robes,_ he thought, trailing his hand over the seam while whispering the release spell.

The robes opened up at the front, and Harry shrugged his arms out of the garment, letting the upper part of his robes dangle down over the dragonhide belt he worse over them, keeping sword attached to his hip.

A second incantation later, the belt was open, and the robes fell to the ground. As he closed his belt, completing his dragonhide armour outfit once more, he contemplated what to do with the discarded robes.

It only lasted a second, as he turned and kept running. He had lost barely five seconds, and wasn't about to give up now. Setting in a sprint, he soon caught the Death Eater carrying Luna in his sights.

The man vanished around the Shrieking Shack. Harry kept up the pace.

00000

Behind the Shrieking Shack, two Slytherin girls were standing, talking quietly to themselves.

"They should be here any minute," the first girl said to the second.

The second one, a brunette, nodded at her blonde friend. Just as she nodded, the tell-tale Apparition pops were heard all over the village. Scant seconds later, the screams began.

"Looks like they're right on time," the blonde remarked to her brunette friend, who only nodded, a smile slowly spreading on her face before hiding itself behind the Slytherin mask of indifference.

As they said so, they started walking back into the village, avoiding the path and cutting through the grass toward the buildings. After barely ten seconds, they stopped, seeing a Death Eater carrying a six-year old child toward them. Both girls felt their blood turn at the sight of the stunned girl dangle over the shoulder of the fully grown man.

He immediately dropped the girl and raising his wand towards the two Slytherins.

Both drew themselves up to their full height, not even going for their wands, which confused the Death Eater into inaction. "Fool," the brunette stated coldly. "We are special emissaries to Our Lord!"

The Death eater obviously didn't believe them, and brandished his wand, ready to curse them. Seeing the spell-motions form, the brunette glanced around, and withdrew something out of her robes, something she kept on a string around her neck.

It was a stone casting of the Dark Mark. Righteously so, the Dark Lord had deemed it too imprudent to mark his followers permanently, yet he _had_ given them something to identify themselves with.

"Everyone can have something like that," the Death Eater grumbled, starting his aborted incantation once again.

The brunette grunted under his breath, and squeezed the item. The image of the Dark Lord appeared, stating in clear terms, that the bearer of this medallion was not to be harmed. The man lowered his wand.

Both girls nodded, the brunette putting the item back under her clothes before walking away. As they passed, the Death Eater threw the trussed-up child over his shoulder again, his very posture one of glee. The two Slytherins looked at each other as the man walked away.

They knew what was to happen.

"Halt," the blonde stated.

The man actually stopped, and turned. Special Emissaries to the Dark Lord were dangerous, and he'd rather not be cursed by Voldemort for harming them. "What?" he asked.

"The parents," the bruentte said, her head indicating the girl.

"Dead. AK-ed them," the response came.

The girls nodded, expecting that much. "And the girl?"

"A dirty half-blood. Her father tried to brain me with a club. Pathetic."

A half-blood. The two Slytherins looked at each other again. It was one thing to wish for supremacy of the full-bloods. It was another to kill parents and abduct little six-year-old girls. And it was a third thing to have it happen in front of you. In that instant, they realized just what they had been doing. They swallowed, recognising in each others eyes what they themselves thought.

Their wands came up in an instant.

They were not part of the DA, and even though they had received _some_ training from the Death Eaters, they were nowhere near the level of Harry and his friends, let alone anywhere near the level of the Death Eaters.

And so, the Death Eater was faster.

As spells and hexes flew, the two Slytherins felt their shields buckle and shatter. Managing at least to force the man to drop his six-year-old burden, they manoeuvred him away from her, trying to put themselves between the girl and her attacker.

"Foolish," the Death Eater muttered. "Very Foolish."

"It's one thing to want a thing. It's another to actually see what the results of that thing are," the blonde Slytherin grunted deeply, her left hand clutching at the deep gash in her right arm, trying to stem the flow of blood that was making her wand slippery. She was breathing deeply.

Next to her, the brunette was on the ground, one leg shattered under the Bone-breaking hex.

The man, even though his features were hidden by a mask, was looking gleeful as he raising his wand for the final blow. The brunette on the ground still had a somewhat-firm grip on her wand, but her mobility was gone. The blonde had her mobility, but was panting deeply and could hardly lift her wand-arm. He liked his odds.

At the moment, their attention was distracted by a Death Eater racing past the Shrieking Shack and making a beeline for the Forbidden Forest, carrying a blonde girl. About twenty to thirty seconds behind him, Harry Potter raced around the corner, his gaze firmly looked on the Death Eater disappearing into the Forest.

As he raced toward his goal, his gaze swept around now that he was in the clearing. His gaze rested upon them. One girl on the ground, a second bleeding deeply, a very young girl on the ground. A Death Eater with a wand.

Harry could not cast and run at the same time, his pumping arms preventing him from doing so.

To their utter surprise, the two Slytherins saw him break off pursuit, lift his staff, and jam it in the direction of the Death Eater, who was now in a sort of combat stance, trying to minimize his signature.

A fireball came racing toward him, and his shield blocked it in time. The second strike was a lightning bolt, hidden behind the fireball. The Death Eater fell to the ground, screaming horribly before passing out, his skin blackened and burned, the smell of burnt flesh emanating from him.

Harry spared them a single glance, making sure they were okay, turned, and started racing again. He had lost another fifteen precious seconds.

Both Slytherins stared at each other.

"I think we joined the wrong side, Daphne," the blonde said.

"I think so too, Tracy," the brunette answered.

00000

As Harry entered the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest, his thoughts quickly left the two Slytherin girls he had just saved. The fact that they had been Slytherin had barely registered, the fact that they had been standing in between a Death Eater and an unconscious child _had_. He blew out his breath, calming himself as he pressed on, chasing his target. He was really glad for his physical training now, he was still fresh after the flat-out chase, the battle he had done earlier, and the fact that he had just thrown a fireball and an _electrifius_, right behind each other.

The Death eater was nowhere near in shape, as he was audibly panting, and his speed had dropped to barely above walking.

In the Forest, it hardly mattered, as Harry could not press his speed advantage as much as he wanted.

The Death Eater emerged into a clearing, and dropped his load. The girl may not be big, but she had been weighing him down considerably. "I have one," the man panted, addressing a Death Eater standing on the other side of the clearing.

"Good," the suave voice of Lucius Malfoy drifted across the clearing. He threw an object to his underling. "Drop this Portkey on her, get her to manor. I hope the others are just as successful, and the Dark Lord will be pleased."

The man caught the object, and was about to place it on the unconscious Luna.

The next moment, he let out a scream, right before his body seemingly combusted and vanished into ashes.

Out of the Forest came Harry Potter, his staff aimed in the direction of the Death Eaters still present. For a moment, he stared at the ashes caused by his lightning spell, before focusing on Luna. "_Finite Incantatem, Ennervate_," he cast, the end of one spell flowing into the beginning of the next. Luna blinked, focused her blurry eyes on Harry, before realizing where she was, and slowly started to crawl to her legs.

"Harry Potter," Lucius drawled. "Get lost, boy. We're here only for your friends."

Harry's fist clenched his staff to the point where his popping knuckles were audible to all. Deep inside his mind, a mantra started to form. _I will never let them hurt my friends. Never again. _His Occlumency shields, already at an impressive level, tightened further, and Harry clamped down on his emotions. He could not afford to make mistakes. Not here, not now.

"Luna. Get behind me," he stated, voice level, yet a command all the same. The girl struggled to her legs and stood up, wobbling slightly as she took a step.

"Crucio," Lucius incanted in a drawl, his spell striking her back, knocking her to the ground as a scream tore from her throat and her body contorted under the pressure on her nervous system.

Harry threw a fireball at the man. A second Death Eater stepped in front of his leader, and calmly took the spell on his shield. To Harry's surprise, his spell washed around the man's shield, and did seemingly no damage to it.

Lucius broke off the spell after ten seconds, not wishing to cause her insanity. After all, what good was an insane prisoner? Except make Harry angry, of course.

"You want him, Gibbon?" Lucius asked, his smirk audible in his voice but unseen, hidden behind his Death Eater mask. "Then he's yours. Hurt him, don't kill him, as the Dark Lord wants him to suffer."

Harry grinned at those words, and stepped in front of Luna, using the Death Eater's speech to give him time to do so.

"You can't keep protecting her," Gibbon said, gravely. "Step away. Let us take her, and you can leave, without getting hurt."

"Like you'll actually let me walk out of here," Harry grunted, throwing another electrifius at the man. The Death Eater banished it aside, and threw a Bludgeoning Hex at him. Harry tried to throw it aside, but found that the spell was beyond his power level to Deviate, and had to resort to ducking away. The moment he cleared, he heard the man cast Crucio on Luna.

Her screams tore at his heart, and he screamed his next hex, a bone-breaking hex that was almost Dark, which the man slapped aside and after which he returned a Reducto, and Harry once again found himself unable to Deviate it; the spell's power overwhelming his meagre ability. Again, he was forced to his knees when Gibbon cast a Crucio on Luna.

Each time, it lasted barely a few seconds, but it was enough to tear at Harry, at his composure, at his ability to remain calm. As he started spell upon spell, trying to overwhelm his opponent into surrender, he was barely aware of the fact that his spells were either slapped aside nonchalantly, or absorbed into the man's insanely powerful Shield Charm.

The man's wand suddenly jerked sideways, and the powerful banishing charm slapped Harry aside like a broken doll. Feeling joints twist, he bit off a startled, pain-filled scream. Never would he have thought he was so ill-prepared for battle.

He realized then and there, this time, the Death Eaters were fighting for keeps. They were not startled by his power or his cleverness. He was alone, Luna had been tortured, and he had nobody to rely on but himself.

He needed help.

He slowly got to his feet, leaning on his staff as he did so. Drawing a deep breath to qualm his pains, he spared a thought to his faithful dragonhide armour, his deeply coloured outfit that had absorbed an inordinate amount of magic already, which had kept him from being cut, which had made sure the spells did not penetrate. He was in pain from blunt-force trauma, but unhurt from magical spells.

He got to his legs, and wanted to start another spell when Luna's scream once again penetrated the fog between his ears.

"Expelliarmus!" Gibbon cast, immensely to Harry's surprise. As his staff tore from his hand, Gibbon aimed his wand and cast a Banishment charm.

The staff vanished over the tree line-out of his sight and out of the clearing. He opened his hand. "To me!"

His staff did not reappear. Gibbon's Banishment charm had thrown it out of his reach.

"Harry... run," Luna croaked as Gibbon lifted his wand at her.

Harry threw himself in his path. For a moment, the Boy-Who-Lived stared down the Death Eater. Fianlly, Gibbon cast his spell.

A Slashing Hex. _Diffindo_.

The Dragonhide absorbed most of the damage, but this time, the curse had been aimed specifically at damaging him. Harry fell back, feeling his suit rip and tear, and feeling the spell taste his flesh.

For a moment, he was sure his right arm was going to fall off, and it was only when his back met the ground that he realized that he was still alive, and still had feeling in it. The Dragonhide had absorbed enough energy to permit him the use of his arm.

Should he chose to ignore the pain in his chest, the spell having gotten several millimetres deep and biting deep into the muscle of his chest.

_Never again,_ Harry whispered, standing up.

"I'm surprised you can still get up after that," Gibbon said, sounding somewhat surprised. "That dragonhide you're wearing must be really good." His voice took on a menacing tone. "Or not, seeing how you're bleeding like a pig."

"This has nothing to do with you, boy," Lucius growled under his breath. "Leave."

"Get out of here, harry," Luna whispered from behind him.

Harry's left fist balled. At least that didn't hurt. He couldn't bear to lift his right arm with the amount of damage done to his chest, blood from his wound dripping down his front and hitting the ground.

"_Diffindo,_" Gibbon cast again.

This time, the hex hit his left side, and Harry twisted in the air as he fell. He hit the ground. He stayed on the ground, panting deeply, feeling pain flash through his entire body, unable to believe that anything outside of the Cruciatus Curse could make him feel anything like this.

_Maybe I should stay down,_ he thought to himself. His eyes blinked slowly. He wanted to close them. To sleep. To embrace the darkness of blissful unconsciousness.

Gibbon gasped.

Lucius' eyes, visible through the mask, opened wide.

Luna bit back a sob. "Harry... please... not for me..."

Harry had stood up.

"Harry," Luna tried again, her body still shuddering from over-exposure to the Cruciatus. "Harry, get out..." Her voice trailed off.

He just stood there, head bowed, blood spilling on the ground, unable to use his arms, legs spread to maintain his balance, seemingly incapable of movement. He stood there. He would not move.

_Never again,_ His mind droned. _Never Again. Never Again will I let someone else get hurt. Never again will I let someone else die. Not for me._ He looked up, his green eyes ablaze with power. _Never again._

Inside his mind, his Occlumency-induced control over his emotions shattered.

Magic burst around him, tugging at his clothes, at his hair, as the leaves of the nearby trees. Gibbon startled.

Harry's left hand grabbed hold of his sword, hefted it out of his belt, and held it horizontal. His right hand came up, grabbed the hilt, and pulled.

As the blade came free, its gleaming white surface shining, blue flames of magic seemed to emanate from it. Transfixed, everyone just stood there as Harry pulled his sword, staring at the gleaming white-reflective surface of the sword.

The tip cleared.

_First Draw,_ Harry's mind resonated through the desolation of his mindscape. Harry growled, took a step, and seemed to vanish.

Gibbon threw himself aside just in the nick of time, Harry's sword flashing down from where the boy appeared right next to him. It would have cleaved him in half had he been at his original location.

The sword came up, and flashed toward him again. Clashing against the Protego Shield Charm, bright white sparks of magic were throw off as Gibbon was pushed backward. Again, Harry flashed from his location, directly next to his opponent, his sword coming down in a death-strike.

The ground cleaved. "What's wrong!?" Harry snarled. "Why aren't you returning spells?"

_Shut up,_ Gibbon thought to himself as he threw himself away from yet another lethal slash. _You've got a whole of a lot of power stashed away, kid!_

Harry flashed after Gibbon again, feeling himself connect with his sword the longer it was out.

As he dodged a hurriedly-cast spell, he felt the truth hit him.

The truth. Why it had taken him so long to draw his sword.

The truth. What he had done that night he had bound his sword to him.

Ken's words flashed through his mind. _You will need to be yourself, at one with yourself, your heart and mind and body and soul. Only then will you be able to draw your sword._

The truth. He needed to be more at one with himself.

He flung Gibbon's spell aside, hitting it with the flat of his sword, and drew another gash in the ground, as of yet still unable to hit his just-fast-enough target.

He needed to be at one with not only himself. He needed his magic as well. And that is why... why it had taken him longer than most.

Harry snarled, and threw a bolt of magic from his sword at his opponent, who blinked in fear, and Apparated a couple of meters to one side. Apparently, the clearing was warded against Apparition. It allowed internal Apparition, but it did not allow one to Apparate in or out.

Gibbon winced, and grabbed his right shoulder. That bolt had actually grazed him! The boy was getting faster and faster!

_The truth_, Harry repeated to himself. What really happened when he created his staff, tapped the Line, and overcharged his spell, the surplus energy of which he channelled into the bounding of his sword.

Harry came to a stop. Gibbon stood there, panting deeply, his magic and his body at his limits.

"Breathe," Harry whispered. "Breathe," he repeated, lifting his sword. His green eyes flashed white. "Breathe!" he screamed. "Kaze no yojimbo!" (A/N: Bodyguard of Wind)

His sword seemed to flashed brightly, the oval cross guard morphing fluidly into a pentagram.

When Harry had channelled the Line energy left-over from the Elemental Binding into the Soul Binding ritual, he unwittingly bound something else.

Harry had bound the Five Elements to his Soulbound Sword.

The blade of his sword vanished... and Gibbon let out a single, blood-curling scream as his body was torn apart, sending blood and parts and intestines and organs flying in all directions.

As the blade reformed, Lucius was suddenly standing right in front of him, the man's wand pressed hard against Harry's side. Harry's eyes locked with Lucius', and that one second before the word fell seemed to last an eternity.

"Reducto."

Harry didn't even scream when the spell tore his Dragonhide away, and bit into his side, spewing blood out his back. As he fell, he faintly heard something crack, and it was as if a previously unnoticed pressure fell away from him.

He realized a second later, when his back had just finished reaching the ground, that the Anti-Apparition Wards had been broken, as no less than a dozen people Apparated into the clearing.

Harry's eyes met Dumbledore's, right before his elder Headmaster threw a single spell in Lucius' direction.

Before it had a chance to hit, Lucius and the three remaining Death Eaters had Apparated away. Harry groaned, and looked over to where Professor McGonagall had Luna in a gentle _mobilicorpus_ spell.

He smiled.

This time, he had saved someone. Even if it was by stalling until someone else got there.

He closed his eyes, and let unconsciousness claim him, unaware of the stares the teachers and Order members were shooting each other when Harry's sword morphed back to its normal state, sheathed itself, and attached itself to his hip.

Ignorance was bliss.

**End of Chapter**


	7. Reunion at Hogwarts

**Mahou** **mo Ken**

All rights to Harry Potter and its world, characters, and settings belong to JK Rowling. I don't own any of its characters, and I am not making any money off this.

**Chapter seven – Reunion at Hogwarts**

Harry groaned, opening his eyes to the rubble of what once was Hogwarts Castle. Lying on his side, he could feel the jagged rubble pressing into his injured side, and he groaned once more. Slowly, he fell over onto his back, biting another groan as yet more rubble pressed into his back. Looking up at the sky, he could see a psychedelic cacophony of iridescent colours. Beautiful, if psychotropic, blues, greens and reds gave way to purples, yellows, and colours that Harry wouldn't have been able to stick a name on, even if his brain had been functioning.

He groaned once more.

"I'm glad to see you're awake enough to enter here," a voice stated, and Harry's eyes roamed over to the new arrival. He groaned.

Maya went down to one knee next to him, her face etched with worry. "I don't know what you did, Harry. All I could feel was the emotional backlash of you fighting. I didn't want to look in, in case it broke your concentration."

He groaned again, feeling very articulate for being able to communicate through the grunts and groans. She nodded. "I know. You're barely able to function, even in here." She stooped down, and her gentle hands went under his back. "Come on, let me get you some place more comfortable." She lifted his limp mental projected effortlessly.

"Ack," Harry grunted as his body left the jagged rubble. She stepped away then, and Harry's field of vision shifted. He could see what remained of his Hogwarts Castle, the stones smashed, smoke still rising from where fires destroyed the most valuable objects he had imagined into being.

Soon, he was gently deposited on soft, if totally blackened, grassy remains. He grunted again. Maya sat down next to him, and nodded seriously. "Yes, you really did a number on it, Harry. I never knew one could wipe one's own mind so many times and still be sane… You actually destroyed your safe place, burnt the grass and the buildings, and even managed to scorch the skies." Harry grunted, still on his back, the wild display of colour all he could see.

Maya turned to look at him again. "You're more or less safe, I'd imagine," she then said. "If not, you'd be a lot more agitated. I think you're on potions, too."

He slowly rotated his head, and looked at her. "I," he croaked, his throat raspy. "T-think so."

She nodded once more. "Come on, let's try something. You need energy if you're to heal, and I think I can help you. Worst case scenario, nothing happens." Harry grunted and affirmation, and Maya smiled in return.

He groaned in pain as she pulled him into a sitting position, his legs crossed. She then sat down in front of him, and held out her hands. Getting the picture, he slowly managed to get his hands into hers. His projection was sluggish, and moved with great difficulty. Pain shot through him at every turn, and he was amazed he was actually able to keep things together as much as he was.

Maya closed her eyes, and Harry did the same, hoping that he wasn't supposed to be doing something besides sitting upright and breathing. He felt a tingle cross through him then, and he felt better immediately.

Had Ken been there, she would have seen the remains of the blackened grass be torn from the ground as a violent wind swept up. Energy crackled through the projection, the skies turning dark violet and black, the light present diffused as the transfer continued.

For Harry, that first gentle trickle had given way to a hose-like wave of energy, filling his reserves, boosting his body. But it was still not enough… feeling the drain on his body as it tried to mend, he lashed onto that downpour, not willing it to stop, not realizing what he was doing until it was violently torn off.

He gasped deeply, feeling the energy transferred into him vanish almost as fast as he had gotten it, but still feeling better for it. Somehow, he found it easier to move here.

He opened his eyes, and found Maya sitting in front of him, panting deeply, sweat on her face. "You… you would have bled me dry if I hadn't shut it off," she grunted darkly, sounding halfway between awed and angry. "How much more could you possibly need!?" she then asked.

He shrugged slowly, deliberately. "A lot," he replied, his voice responding a lot better now. He smiled at her. "Thank you. I really needed that."

She waved it off. "It's nothing more than what you would do… and have done… for both me and Sensei." She looked around, and saw that things were starting to repair themselves. "Your mind's healing, finally," she stated. "I think you'll wake up in about ten to twelve hours." She looked at him. "It might go faster if you're not here to be a drain on your body. Would you like to visit?"

"Visit?" Harry asked.

She nodded. "Yes. We're always meeting in your mind… but how would you like to visit mine? Mind you, it's not as impressive as this one is."

He grinned. "I'd like that. How do I do it?"

She held out her hand. "Just grab my hand, I'll show you. After that, you can pop by for a visit whenever you want… just make sure I'm not in the shower or something."

He chuckled. "I'd say the same to you, but I don't think it's necessary."

Maya turned and looked at him. "You know, I said that mostly as a joke… I didn't think it was necessary either." She held out her hand, and Harry took it.

He felt himself pulled along the magical connection they shared since linking their magic, and soon found himself in a nicely decorated and furnished room. "It's strange," she said, continuing their conversation. "I trust you completely, even if we've only met a couple of months ago."

Harry nodded. "It's the same for me," he said, looking around the room, immediately feeling the difference with his own mental area. Even though it was smaller, he could feel the more powerful energy present. It was as if the air was vibrating with it, the walls and the furniture glowing with it.

Maya noticed his stare. "It's my representation of my... _our_... room at Sensei's house," Maya explained. "And this is the result of years of training. You'll get there eventually; you're making incredible progress."

He nodded. "Thanks."

She smiled at him. "I'd suggest you get some rest. Let your body and mind heal while your consciousness gets some rest." She motioned for the futon. He nodded, and smiled in thanks.

"Thank you."

Maya dipped her head. "You're welcome. Now, I'll leave you… I have to tell Sensei about your visit." She glanced at the door. "Can I ask you not to go look around in my mind?" She shrugged. "There's nothing in here I don't want you to see, I trust you to keep my secrets, but still…"

"it's private, I know," Harry replied. "I feel the same way."

She shot him one last smile, and vanished.

Harry looked at the sliding door. He knew somehow that it was unlocked, and that he could just slide it open and step into Maya's mind.

Instead, he turned to the bedroll, fell into it, and was asleep within seconds.

Outside, Maya slowly blinked open her eyes, and groaned slightly as she released her meditative pose. Rising to her feet, she felt her knees and her back pop, and her eyes drooped. She could almost feel the drain on her body, as bad as it had been the first couple of times she had gone over to Harry's mind. It was incredible, she thought, how far they had come. She used to be forced to project herself over to Harry. Now, she could just pop over, and be sustained from his mind.

And right now, he was over in her mind, resting, while she sustained his mind. She didn't mind, really, their connection allowing them to do these things as if they were second nature.

Slowly, she walked into the house, to her room, and fall asleep herself. The transfer to Harry had drained her, and now his mental presence was weighing on her mind as well. She slid the door open, and stepped inside, changing her shoes to indoor slippers, and shuffled to her room.

"Maya?" ken asked, looking her apprentice up and down. "What happened to you, my young Apprentice?"

Maya swallowed. "Sensei. Harry... Harry was forced to fight. I could feel the mental stress it caused him. He... he was hurt, badly. He finally woke up in the mindscape, and I transferred some of my magical reserves to him."

Ken was silent for almost ten seconds. "You can do that?"

Maya nodded. "Our connection has grown tight and strong, Sensei. I transferred my energy to him, and now he's resting."

Again, her teacher regarded her, before accepting the statement. "Where is he? Is he safe?"

Maya smiled genuinely. She tapped her temple. "He's resting. In here."

Ken's eyes grew wider for just a few seconds, before smiling slightly, and nodding. "Go to your room, Maya. I'll bring you something that will help you recover your magical reserves more quickly."

"Thank you, Sensei," Maya whispered gratefully, shuffling to her room. Ken stared after her apprentice. Whatever had happened between her two apprentices, it sure had amazing results. To be able to go to the other's mind, and recuperate there... to be able to share magic at will... to be able to feel and talk to each other across such distances... Ken smiled, turned, and walked to the apothecary. Thanks to her job, she always had a stock of different potions on hand, and she knew a couple that would benefit her apprentice greatly.

She hoped that her second apprentice, over in Great Britain, had someone looking out for him as well.

00000

Harry woke up, feeling quite a bit better than he had before going to sleep. He could feel that his body was about ready to wake up now, and looked around the room. Finding a piece of paper and a ballpoint pen in one of the drawers of the glowing desk, Harry sat down and wrote a short note. He could feel that Maya was asleep, and did not want to bother her.

Enjoying the feel of a ballpoint instead of a quill, Harry wrote.

_Oneesan,_

_Thank you for the sleepover. I feel a lot better!_

_I could feel you're asleep, and my body is about to wake up. I think I should go._

_When you're awake, and you can feel I'm awake too, drop me a note and we can talk. _

_You were really there for me when I needed you, oneesan, and I want you to know I will not forget it._

_Talk to you later,_

_Your brother,_

_Harry_

Harry read the note, only now realizing it was completely written in Japanese, and smiled slightly. He had always been guarded with his emotions, but somehow, with Maya, things were easier. Maybe it was the connection they shared.

He left the note on the desk in Maya's mindscape, and winked out of existence.

00000

Harry let out a small groan as he blinked open his eyes. His entire body ached and smarted; he felt worse than he had felt the last time he had gone up against Death Eaters. Of course, at that time, he hadn't been able to do the things he had done this time, nor had he taken two _diffindo_-curses to the chest, or a reductor to the side.

Realizing it was night, he gritted his teeth to hide his groans as his spirit reawakened his injured body. Slowly, he looked around. The Hospital Wing was hidden in twilight, obscuring many of the details Harry knew were there. He had been here often enough, after all. In the bed next to him was a familiar girl; waist-length blond hair shining the moonlight streaming through the window.

And her eyes were open.

He blinked; not really trusting himself to accept what he was seeing.

"Luna?" His voice broke, his throat was raw and it hurt to talk.

She turned her head, her eyes shifting from the ceiling to him. She looked all right to him... why was she in the Hospital Wing? A smile appeared on her lips and reached her eyes as she settled them upon him. "It's nice to see you awake, Harry," she replied evenly. "I was afraid you had fallen to the Wrackspurts. Usually, they just make your brain go fuzzy, but in extreme cases, they can make you fall asleep and never wake up."

Harry smiled slightly, hoping it was reassuring to her. "No Wrackspurts here, Luna," he whispered, voice still hoarse. He swallowed with a dry mouth. No luck, his mouth and throat was still raw and dry. "I'm sorry, Luna," he then said.

She blinked, and frowned. "Whatever for?" she asked.

Harry sighed, his head rolling back and his eyes focused beyond the ceiling. The horrible film in his memories played again; Luna screaming under the Cruciatus as he tried without success to shield her. "I even got you landed in the Hospital Wing," he whispered sadly.

"Oh, that," Luna said, as if nothing bad had happened. "I just got a little over-exposed to the Cruciatus Curse. My nerves are still somewhat jumpy, it makes it hard to make small movements. Madam Pomfrey tells me that I'll be all right by morning."

Harry sighed.

"You did something nobody else ever did," Luna went on. "You refused to step away." She swallowed audibly, and resumed her staring at the ceiling, now that it was obvious that Harry wasn't going to look back at her. "You stood between me and took two spells meant for me. You fought for me." She swallowed again. "And almost got yourself killed."

For the first time, Harry could hear her voice changing to something other than endless optimism. She sounded afraid, and worried.

"I'm sorry," he whispered again. "For making you worry."

Luna's head snapped in his direction, and it looked as if she were furious. He didn't know, he couldn't see that well without his glasses. "You saved my life, Harry," she stated, sounding fully lucid now.

"I have to say that she's right, Potter. You saved all of us that day," a voice sounded from the other side of the room. Harry tried to look, but without his glasses, it was impossible to discern the face of the new speaker.

He groaned as he tried to get to his glasses, but his wounds were only freshly healed and his arms refused to budge. He tried to speak, but his sore and raw throat had finally had enough, and just a dull croak sounded.

He cursed silently, turning his head to look at the table next to his bed. There where his glasses. There was also a glass of water, which would undoubtedly help his sore throat. He once more tried to get to them, but his arm budged only slightly.

Luna slipped from her bed. As he saw her nearing him, he noticed how she moved carefully, as if unsure of her own balance. She fell onto the bed next to him.

Gently, carefully, she helped him sit upright, and he could feel tremors move through her arms and hands as she did so, the after-effects of Cruciatus over-exposure. He groaned dully against the pain in his chest and side as she moved him, and he let out a breath of relief as he finally was able to sag against her. She was warm... warm and soft. Luna reached for the glass of water, grabbing it with both her hands, making sure that he remained upright and leaning against her as her trembling hands brought the glass to his lips.

"Careful," she said, gently. "Don't try and drink too much."

He nodded, and she tiled the glass against his lips. Cool water entered his mouth, and Harry swallowed reflexively. Another mouthful followed. Gently, Luna held the water as he drank, until he finished the glass. Detachedly, he realized that she was very good at this.

"Thank you," he breathed, and a smile spread on her lips. She moved his glasses to his nose after putting the empty water glass down, and the room blurred into focus. He glanced around, and noticed that the person who had spoken to him earlier was Daphne Greengrass.

"As much as it pains to say, I agree with her, Potter," Daphne repeated. "You saved all our lives." she blinked, and looked ashamed. The girl in the bed next to her, Tracey Davies, looked just as ashamed.

Harry frowned. Were they ashamed he had saved their lives? That they needed his help? "I saw you were in trouble," he replied, his voice sounding better now that he had drank something. "I couldn't leave you to die... you were trying to save someone."

Daphne and Tracey looked up at him, a smile of gratitude fluttering on their lips before vanishing again. "Thing is, Potter..." Daphne said, trailing off, uncertain. "You should have let us die."

Harry blinked. Of all the things he had thought about Slytherins, suicidal was not one of them. "Why?" he asked finally. Luna moved slightly, and he winced in pain before relaxing against her in his new position. He looked at her. "Thanks," he whispered.

She graced him with an airy smile. He focused his attention back on the two Slytherin girls on the other side of the room. Detachedly, he realized that this was the first time he was sleeping in the same room as a bunch of girls... girls that weren't his sister, anyway. Attractive girls, too. He moved slightly against Luna, who was still propping him up so he could see Daphne and Tracey. Luna was dressed in a nice white nightgown, embroidered with little animals he couldn't identify. It was so Luna that he couldn't imagine her wearing anything else.

He vaguely realized his mind was wandering, and he wondered what kind of potions the school nurse had poured down his throat. He focused back on Daphne, realizing that she was finally answering his question.

"You saved our lives, Potter," she said, looking at the sheets. "We owe you a Life Debt. I want you to know... I want you to know that you can do anything you want with us." She glanced at Tracey, who nodded. "Or to us," Tracey finished, looking from her friend to Harry.

Harry blinked. "Thanks, I guess..." he replied. "But I don't want to do anything with or to you. I saved your lives, I'm just glad to survived."

"We wanted you to know, Potter... Harry," Daphne said. "But there is something else we should tell you. And then... then you might want to take us up on that offer."

Harry frowned slightly. It was the first time anyone from Slytherin House, other than Draco Malfoy, had called him by his first name. He found the experience rather startling, but a nice development all the same. The second part of her statement, on the other hand, filled him with dread.

"You see... Harry..." Tracey said, sounding unsure of her use of his first name, but finding he didn't mind. "We are the children of the Dark Lord's Death Eaters."

Harry blinked. "You think I'd hold it against you that your parents are Death Eaters?" he asked, incredulously.

Daphne shook her head, taking up the tale. "No... but you see, this summer... we were called before him. We had no choice, we had to come... and then he gave us a mission. We couldn't refuse, really..."

Harry nodded, feeling cold all of a sudden. "I can understand that... go on."

"He asked us to spy on Hogwarts," Tracey said. "We... we told him of the Hogsmeade visit."

Harry swallowed. His vision blacked out, and he felt Luna grab hold of him. He guessed he must have been trembling, as she held him quite hard. Finally, his ragged breathing evened out and his sight swam back, slowly.

"You're responsible for this," he whispered hoarsely.

Daphne looked at the sheets on her bed, and nodded, as did Tracey. "When... when we realized what was happening... we tried to stop it," Daphne whispered. "We didn't know..."

A quote from somewhere struck his mind. "Ignorance is a poor excuse," Harry whispered, his weak voice sounding like a gunshot through the Hospital Wing. "What else... what else did you tell him?"

For the next ten minutes, Tracey and Daphne confessed everything they had written to the Voldemort, every report they had made, every little bit they had told.

Harry was silent for over five minutes after they finished, the Hospital Wing completely silent safe for the breathing of four injured teens, and the occasional rustle of bedsheets. Finally, Harry opened his mouth, and spoke.

"Great. Just great," he whispered, turning his head to look out the window. Finally, he sighed, and looked back at them.

"And now?" he asked.

"Now we run," Daphne said. "We betrayed Voldemort. He's going to come after us when he realizes." She glanced at Tracey. The other girl just nodded.

"We can't go home. Our parents will just hand us over," Tracey added. "We can't stay here. Too much of a target."

Harry sighed. He knew what it was like, to be looked at with mistrust, to not have a home, to be alone. He looked at Luna. She was the only one of his Inner Circle that was present at the moment.

"What do you think, Luna?" he whispered to her.

Luna was silent, and looked at the two girls. "They owe you a Life Debt. In itself, that's a big deal, but it does not mean they can't betray you."

Harry nodded, and turned to look back at the Slytherins, who were looking down again. He knew all about that... Peter Pettigrew, aka Wormtail, had betrayed him even though the man owed him a Life Debt. "Will you both swear Witch's Oaths, never to betray me, act always in my best interests, and join us in the fight against Voldemort?"

Daphne and Tracey looked at each other. "Why?" Daphne finally asked.

Harry smiled slightly. "I may know a way to save you... on the condition you swear the oath, and if you join us in the fight against Voldemort."

Again, both girls shuddered as Harry spoke that awful name so casually. "You'll need to get used to that," Harry said, smiling slightly. "None of that You-Know-Who bollocks with me."

Again, the girls looked at each other, before nodding, drawing their wands, and stating the incantation.

"I, Daphne Greengrass, swear on my Life and my Magic to never betray Harry Potter, to always act in his best interests, and to join him in the fight against V-V-Voldemort."

"I, Tracey Davies, swear on my Life and my Magic to never betray Harry Potter, to always act in his best interests, and to join him in the fight against V-V-Vol-Vol-de-mort."

Magic flashed around the Hospital Wing as two Witch's Oaths completed. Harry nodded. "Good. Now that those are done, and you can't betray me, I'll ask again. Were the things you told me the only things you did in service of Voldemort?"

"Yes, Harry," Daphne said.

"Yes, Harry," Tracey replied after her friend.

Harry nodded. "Good. Then I didn't make a mistake... I wouldn't have liked to offer a chance to someone who had actually, directly, killed someone, or who had been a full Death Eater."

Daphne and Tracey stared at him, while Luna just remained silent, seemingly enjoying the feel of Harry leaning against her. Harry moved slightly. He was enjoying the feel of Luna against him, too.

"I'm not Dumbledore," Harry replied. "I'm not about to let my pet Death Eater get away with murder. I feel you two deserve another chance, but only because your crimes only supplied Voldemort with information he probably already knew anyway. And he most certainly will know of my new fighting abilities now, after Lucius Malfoy does his report." Harry sighed. "Too bad about Hogsmeade, but that too, is something he probably already knew." He shook his head.

"I'll talk with Dumbledore in the morning," he whispered, feeling his strength ebb. "I think I'm going to go back to sleep now."

Luna nodded, and slowly eased him back to a lying position. Before she could walk away, he managed to hold on to her hand, even with his arms that were still not moving too good. "Thank you, Luna."

She smiled at him. "Accepting help is a good thing, Harry," she said, smiling. "We all wanted to help. We all knew the risks." she smiled, detached her hand, and walked, gingerly, back to her bed.

"Good night," he wished them all. His eyes closed, and he was back asleep before the trio of female 'good nights' reached him.

Harry slept a dreamless sleep, not even reaching the mindscape as his body and mind recuperated from the recent stresses. He awoke the next morning, feeling incredibly hungry, but oddly awake.

The drapes around the beds of Daphne and Tracey were drawn, and Harry couldn't overhear what was being said. Obviously, a masking charm of some sort was in place, and he resigned himself to waiting until the examination was complete. He never opened his eyes, choosing instead to remain in his half-dream half-awake state.

His rest was of short duration, however, as Albus Dumbledore entered not five minutes after he had woken.

"Good morning, Harry," the old man said as he sat down next to Harry's bed. For just a moment, Harry's eyes flickered to Luna, whose bed had not yet been hidden by the privacy drapes. The blonde looked back at him and graced him with a good morning smile.

Feeling oddly relieved that she was still there, he looked at the Headmaster. Seeing the sword leaning against his bed, his left hand reached for it, and calmly rested on it. The strength of the blade seemed to seep up his arm, filling him with tingling energy.

"Good morning, Professor," he said.

"I'm glad to see you are feeling better, Harry," Dumbledore spoke. "Your friends would have been here, had I not asked them for five minutes of your time."

Harry shrugged; he wouldn't doubt his friends any more. He had seen them in Hogsmeade, he had seen them cover each other. They had fought together in a way they hadn't done in the Department of Mysteries, they had bled together, they had defended each other. Such an action caused a bond; a bond he wasn't about to go back on now. "I understand, Sir," he said. "How can I help you?"

He wanted to curse how weak his voice still sounded. He wanted to project at least some measure of strength, of reassurance, but his dry throat made it impossible for him to do so. His right hand managed to grasp his glasses, and at last, the world swam into focus. Reaching back, he grabbed the replenished glass of water and gulped thirstily from it.

"Not too fast, Harry," Luna said from her bed.

He stopped drinking, and glanced at her, smiling in her direction. "You're right, Luna," he replied.

"Miss Lovegood certainly is," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. "Now, Harry, what I wanted to talk about. What happened between you going after Miss Lovegood, and the time we managed to reach you?"

Harry stared at the Headmaster. "I ran after them. I came across a Death Eater trying to kill Daphne Greengrass and Tracey Davies. I think I killed him... I threw a couple of spells at him, saw him go down. I didn't stop to check on them..." Harry swallowed. "I entered the Forbidden Forest from the other side."

Harry told Dumbledore what had happened, how he had killed the man who was about to kidnap Luna, how Lucius Malfoy had been there, how he had fought the Death Eater named Gibbon. How his strongest spells were not enough, how they had fought to a standstill until the man had started to target Luna.

Harry looked away, and stared at his right hand in front of him, his left hand tightening around the handle of his sword. Harry's voice dropped to a near-whisper as he told how the best he could do was jump in front of the spells and take them himself.

"I killed him, too..." Harry whispered, looking up and staring into space. "With my sword." He blinked slowly and looked at Dumbledore. "Something happened. I don't know what. I just kept thinking I wouldn't let anyone get hurt because of me, and then I was able to draw my sword. I killed him."

"And then Lucius Malfoy hit me in the side, point-blank range, with a Reductor. He was faster than me," Harry finished.

Dumbledore just nodded. "You've exhausted my patient long enough, Headmaster. I must insist that you leave now, and let me examine him," the matron-like voice of Madam Pomfrey reached the duo, and Dumbledore slowly stood up and smiled at the school's nurse. "Of course, Poppy." He turned to Harry. "Get well soon, Harry. A lot of people see you as their hero now. We had to spell the doors to the infirmary shut, as students kept trying to sneak in."

Harry smiled slightly, and Dumbledore stepped away, nodding at Luna as he passed, and walked out the door. Harry noticed that the drapes around Daphne's and Tracey's beds were gone.

"How are you?" Harry asked the two Slytherins.

They looked startled for a moment, not seeming to realize why he would care, but Daphne finally answered, "I'm doing better, Harry. Thanks. My leg was shattered, but it should be strong enough in a couple of hours."

Tracey nodded as well. "I'll be fine too, Harry. I got hit with a Dark hex to my arm. It might be stiff for a while, but I should be out of here by this afternoon."

"If you're quite done, Mr Potter," the nurse said with a small smile, her hand on the drapes, about to pull them closed.

"If you wouldn't mind, Madam Pomfrey, could you leave the drapes open?" Harry asked. "I'd like to talk for a few minutes, if it's okay."

The nurse startled for a few seconds, then shrugged. "I'll need to look at that wound on your side, Mr Potter."

Harry shrugged. It wasn't as if the girls would be seeing something they shouldn't see. He looked at Luna. "And you, Luna? Are you doing better?"

Madam Pomfrey smiled slightly and began her examination. Luna nodded. "I'm much better. I might be released by this afternoon."

Harry nodded. "I'm glad." A small smile spread on his lips. "I'm sorry I got you into this, Luna, but I'm glad you were there with me, and I'm glad you'll be fine."

"We're sorry we got _you_ into this, Harry," Daphne said, feeling that it needed to be said. Harry was silent as the nurse worked, then looked over to the two Slytherins.

"As I told you last night, you didn't tell him anything he didn't already know," Harry grunted. The nurse stiffened.

"You shouldn't have been up, Mr Potter," she stated.

"I was awake for a few minutes, and so were they," Harry said. "We talked for a few minutes, then I went back to sleep."

"I'll need to lift your shirt and look at that wound, Mr. Potter," the nurse said. Harry managed to sit up, with some help of the nurse, and she lifted his shirt.

"You know," he said on a conversational tone, "You've seen me in quite a few embarrassing, not to mention, topless, states. When are you going to call me Harry?" he asked the nurse.

The stoic Madam Pompfrey actually chuckled. "Very well, Harry." Her wand flicked over the pinkish skin on his side. "Your internal wounds were worse than the skin, Harry," she said at his look. "It is worse than it looks. I think I might have to keep you overnight, until tomorrow, at least."

Harry bit back a groan of disappointment. Luna looked over.

"Nurse Pomfrey, I think I might be having a relapse," she stated even though she didn't look it. "I think I might have to stay until tomorrow, too."

Madam Pomfrey, who had started to turn around at the first part of the statement, actually stopped when the second part left the blonde's mouth. She turned slowly.

"I think my leg is starting to throb again," Daphne said, grabbing her leg. "I might have to stay too... and I was _so_ looking forward to getting out of here."

Tracey grabbed her arm. "My arm, Madam. I feel like it's going to fall off. I might have to stay as well..."

Madam Pomfrey shook her head. "This is not a hotel, ladies," she said, waving her wand over Luna. "Hm. It actually does look like you might have some residual Cruciatus aftershock. She walked to Daphne. "Your leg isn't healing the way I want it too, Miss Greengrass. I'll keep you in observation for the night, I think." She just _looked_ at Tracey, didn't even bother with her wand. "You're not looking too good, Miss Davies. Perhaps another night will clear you up."

All three girls just nodded solemnly. Harry was fighting to hold in his laughter as the nurse returned and went back to her examination of him.

"Might I ask, Madam Pomfrey, what happened to my dragonhide armour?"

The nurse sighed. "It saved your life, Harry, but it nearly killed you, as well. We were lucky I was able to get some blood-replenishing potions in you, because it took Headmaster Dumbledore nearly fifteen minutes to cut it off you. I guess he couldn't have used stronger spells, but we didn't want to run the risk of hurting you even more."

Harry nodded. "So, it's..."

"It's been destroyed in the process, Harry. I'm sorry about that, but if you hadn't had it on, you would have been killed. It absorbed an inordinate amount of damage. The Headmaster could find traces of all kinds of spell damage."

Harry nodded once more. He wasn't too sorry about losing the armour. It had done it's job, and it had saved his life.

"You can lie down again, Harry," the nurse said and Harry gingerly laid down again. "I'll go let your friends in."

Harry nodded. As the nurse walked to the doors of the infirmary, he looked at Luna, Daphne, and Tracey. "Thanks. You didn't have to do that."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Potter," Daphne snapped playfully. "My leg is throbbing. It hurts terribly."

"And my arm still feels like it's about to fall off. Bloody dark Curses," Tracey griped.

Luna smiled at Harry. "You're welcome, Harry."

He burst out laughing, soon taking the other three with him. And that's how his friends found him, laughing along with a Ravenclaw and two Slytherin witches.

"Harry!" Hermione shouted, rushing to him to give him a big hug. Harry managed to contain his 'umph', just hugging the excited witch, as always a little self-conscious and uncomfortable with the close physical contact. He reached around Hermione to shake Ron's hand.

"Hey mate, glad to see you're up," Ron said as Hermione released Harry.

Harry grinned to hide the wince of his tender side, and looked his friends over. Hermione looked good, safe for a nasty-looking patch of recently healed skin over her right cheek. Ron looked good too; the only sign he had been in a battle was his left hand, completely engulfed in bandages.

Catching him looking them over, Hermione tried to put him at ease. "Don't worry, Harry... we were lucky. A flesh-eating curse just grazed my cheek. Ron was a little worse off, but Madam Pomfrey healed the cut in his hand quite nicely."

"Yeah, mate, all I have to do is keep it covered until the end of today. She said I was really lucky, is it didn't hit any of the bones in my hand," Ron said, sitting down on the other side of Harry.

Harry sighed. More people had gotten hurt because of him. "I'm sorry you got hurt," Harry said. He looked around the room, glancing at Luna and the two Slytherins on the other side of the Hospital Wing, anything to try and avoid the eyes of his closest friends.

"Harry, look at me," Hermione stated. Harry couldn't help but look directly at her at the command.

"Yes, we got hurt, but they jumped us, and there was nothing you could have done. Instead, you protected us. You told us what to do. If it hadn't been for you, we might have gotten hurt worse... or killed."

Harry's stomach flipped. _He_ had killed. It had been so ridiculously easy... just say the incantation, and wave the staff...

_It's alright, Harry... as long as you can feel these things, you aren't evil,_ Maya counselled in his mind. _Sorry, little brother, I shouldn't have eavesdropped. _

_That's all right, Oneesan. Are you all right?_

Maya's mental voice chuckled. _I'm fine, don't worry about me. It looks like you are the one who's bad off. Now, don't feel bad about killing those men. They would have killed you._

Harry sighed audibly. "I'm sorry you got hurt because of me," Harry grunted again.

_Harry, you idiot, _Maya stated coldly. _Your friends were in a horrible battle. They are feeling just as bad as you are, no doubt. Don' tell them you're sorry. Thank them for being there. Tell them that you wanted nobody else next to you in a fight._

_But Sis..._

_Just thank them, Little Brother. They're your friends, and they gladly stood next to you. Instead of you brooding over them getting hurt, thank them for being there, next to you._

Harry gave the equivalent of a mental nod, and looked at Ron and Hermione. "I really do feel bad about what happened... but I guess it couldn't be avoided, with them jumping us in Hogsmeade and all. I just... I wanted you to know... I was glad you were there. Thanks."

Hermione's eyes shone suspiciously as she hugged him, while Ron just had a big smile on his face as he clapped Harry on the shoulder. Harry winced audibly, and Hermione pulled back immediately and started scolding Ron for forgetting that Harry had been hit with Slashing Hexes. Harry turned and looked at Luna. "That goes double for you, Luna. You got hurt worse... all because they wanted to hurt me. I'm sorry, and thank you."

Luna smiled. "You would have done the same for me," the silver-eyed blonde said.

"In a heartbeat," Harry replied. He looked over at the two Slytherin girls, who were doing their best to seem impassive and uninterested in what was going on. He grinned and winked at them. For a moment, surprise shone on their faces, before being hidden beneath the patented Slytherin mask of indifference.

"You two as well," Harry said. "You got hurt, protecting someone. Thank you."

For a few moments, Tracy and Daphne didn't know what to say. While they were trying to make up their minds, Hermione and Ron had stopped bickering, and were staring at Harry.

"Bloody Hell, mate, since when are you so friendly with Slytherins?" Ron exploded. Harry sighed inwardly, he should have guessed that Ron would explode at them being Slytherins rather than hear what he had said.

"Since they got hurt trying to protect a six-year-old from Death Eaters," Harry replied calmly. He winked at the two girls once more when he saw the look of gratitude they shot him.

"They're _Slytherins_, man!" Ron grunted out. "For all we know, it's a ploy to get them close to you and spy!"

Harry felt his right hand clench into a fist, his left hand dropping to his sword once again. The comforting energy from the blade propped him up, his own reserves still dwindling as they tried to heal the damage done to him. "Ron, you're my best mate, but I'll say this only one more time." He looked at Ron, his eyes drilling into Ron's. "We managed to talk. They're good people. They got hurt trying to defend someone. Now drop it."

Ron didn't get the hint of anger that was beneath Harry's calm tone, or he chose to ignore it. "You're turning into bloody Dumbledore, don't you? He's got Snape, and you've got those two! What are _you_ going to let them get away with?"

Harry's right fist unclenched. With a sharp **CRACK**, it connected to Ron's cheek. "I'll defend you, Hermione, Luna, Neville, Ginny, and the rest of my friends. Just like that, I will protect them. You will take that back. They will NOT get away with ANYTHING."

Ron sat there, rubbing his stinging cheek. Both boys ignored the shocked look on Hermione's face. "Bloody hell," Ron cursed again. "They've spelled you already," he grunted. "What gives you such great confidence in them, huh, mate?"

Harry looked over to Tracy and Daphne, both looking down. Harry's right hand clenched and unclenched rhythmically as he tried to ease the anger that boiled in his mind. It didn't work. His left hand was clenched hard over his sword, and he knew that he was drawing strength from it, strength his own body no longer had.

He drew a breath, and glared at Ron once more. "Spelled me?" Harry asked, coldly. "Spelled, am I? Let me tell you something, Ron. When _you_ take an unbreakable Wizard's Oath to always tell me the truth, to always be on my side and never betray me, _then_ I might trust you like I trust them! Heaven and Hell know how many times you've doubted me, and turned your back on me because of rumours!"

Ron sat there, looking like he had been slapped again. Harry looked at Tracy and Daphne. "You trusted me. You gave me an oath. You swore never to betray me... and I will never betray you, either. I will protect my friends. Always." he looked at Ron. "Against anybody." He looked back at them. "I'm sorry you had to hear that."

The two girls sat there, numb, unable to believe what had just happened. Harry smiled slightly, and turned back to Ron, and lifted and eyebrow.

"I..." Ron whispered, unable to continue.

"I'm grateful you were there," Harry said, the last of his anger leaving him. "And I'm sorry you got hurt. But gratitude will only go so far. You need to learn to trust me, Ron. That's what friends do... they trust each other. Or so I have been told."

"They... they actually took a Witch's Oath?"

Harry nodded. "They made some mistakes, and want to make amends. I can understand that... I've made my fair share of goofs and gaffes."

"Bloody Hell," Ron cursed once more.

Hermione's shock finally lifted. "Ron, language!"

Harry smiled slightly. "Everything back to normal, right, Hermione?"

The muggle-born Witch looked at Tracy and Daphne. "As far as I am concerned, yes." She smiled in the direction of the two girls. "I'm glad to see you weren't badly hurt."

Daphne winced theatrically, over-acting dramatically. "Don't underestimate these horrible wounds, Hermione. In fact, I just had a relapse, and found out I had to stay another day, locked up in here."

Tracy nodded. "Same over here. Dark curses can really mess up one's life."

Hermione's smiled widened slightly, wondering for a few seconds before playing along. Ignoring the look that Ron shot her, she replied, "Really? And how did you figure out that your horrible wounds had relapsed?"

"It was a gruesome coincidence, is what is was," Tracy replied. "Nurse Pomfrey was explaining that Harry had to stay until tomorrow. While Luna was explaining that the after-effects of her Cruciatus exposure were getting worse, both Daphne and I felt the Dark Curses inflicted upon us acting up again. With the results that all of us are stuck here until Harry gets out."

Harry chuckled.

"Oh, a nice friend you are," Daphne scolded. "Protect us against slander, but laughing at our pain!"

Harry stopped chuckling. "I said I was grateful."

"And we told you that our wounds really were acting up again," Daphne replied. "Get with the program, Potter."

For a moment, Harry actually doubted whether the wounds were acting up again. But Madam Pomfrey had checked them, right?

Daphne started chortling with laughter, Tracy directly behind her. "We're in Slytherin, Harry. We know how to fake something or how to play with minds. No, don't worry, our wounds aren't acting up."

Harry crossed his arms, finally letting go of his sword and feeling his body's wariness hit him full-on. "Gee, Greengrass, that wasn't very much keeping up the Oath, was it?"

Daphne blanched, Tracey just half a second behind her. Colour slowly returned to the two girls as they didn't feel anything out of the ordinary happen to them.

"I guess it doesn't do anything when I know all along that you're playing me," Harry said with an evil grin.

Daphne made a play-angry growl and hurled her pillow at Harry, who grinned, took it, and propped it under his head. "Thanks, I needed a second pillow."

Taking her wand, Daphne accio-ed her pillow back to her, causing Harry's head to drop down in his original pillow. "You're a menace," he accused her.

"You'd better believe it," Daphne replied with a grin. Harry chuckled. Hermione just sat there, smiling, looking at Harry bantering with two Slytherin girls. Ron's mouth was open, following the verbal sparring war, unable to believe that _his_ Harry was bantering playfully with a couple of Slytherins!

Half an hour later, Madam Pomfrey kicked them out, as her patients needed a check-up and some more potions. As Ron and Hermione left, Ron shot a final look at the two Slytherin witches. _Well,_ he thought, _At least Harry's got better taste than Dumbledore... they're certainly better-looking than Snape._

As soon as his friends left, and Harry settled down in his bed, he felt the wariness hit him full on. In fact, he barely made it through Madam Pomfrey's examination before he passed out again, although he did manage to sneak in a request to speak with the Headmaster once more, later.

His sleep was deep, dark, and dreamless.

That is, it was deep and dark and dreamless until he woke up in his mindscape, and found only a grassy plain.

He sighed deeply, closed his eyes, and tried to feel. As he did so, a shudder of surprise went through him, and his eyes flashed open as he stared at the grassy plain all around him. Not a trace of Hogwarts was visible, nor of the Forbidden Forest. All he could see was grass, pure, green, grass, as far as the eyes could see.

He looked up.

The scorched skies were bright and blue once more, and the sun was high, gracing him with its powerful rays.

He smiled. His mind was getting better at rebuilding itself, although he had no idea where _that_ had come from. Focusing, he struck deep holes for the foundations of Hogwarts, and started building.

A knock on his shields broke his focus, and he smiled up at Maya. Letting Ken in, he greeted her.

"I thought this would be a wasteland," Maya said, looking around.

Harry shrugged. "Hello, Sensei," he greeted Ken, who had materialized by now, and turned back to Maya. "I thought so too, but when I got here, my mind was already rebuilding. I guess it's getting used to this."

Ken smiled slightly. "Hello, Harry. I heard from my Apprentice that you've been in a scuffle?" She looked around. "I can see that your mental building is gone again, as are the surrounding grounds, but after her explanation, I would have thought this would indeed be a wasteland."

"It _was_ a wasteland when I saved him, Sensei!" Maya said forcefully, glancing at Harry.

Ken nodded, and took two steps, her usual limp plainly visible to Harry. "This entire place has been rebuilt, from the ground up," she stated calmly, and stomped hard on the grass. Before her, an entire square of the plain budged and twisted, before it flipped around as if attached to an invisible pivot. On the other side, a metal plate was visible, bearing some sort of cannon.

Harry shrugged, and grinned. "I guess my mind has been going overboard on defences."

Ken chuckled as Maya just stared at the cannon, which now retracted back into the ground. "Harry, you're not building any more defences. Your shields are as they were when you put them down. What you're building are mental representations of _offensive_ capabilities." She looked around. "This entire area is actually a giant metal plate, divided into sections, each with a… cannon… ready to fire at whomever intrudes upon your mind. Or fire at whomever mind you wish to break into, whatever the case may be."

Harry swallowed, and nodded. Ken seemed pleased, and he was happy as long as she was.

He sighed finally. "Ken-Sensei," he stated, walking up to her. He drew a deep breath. "I need your help. I was attacked again. I had to defend my friends. I almost didn't make it, and one of my friends is in the hospital for excessive Cruciatus exposure. I need your help to get better."

Ken was silent, looking at him with eyes that seemed to dissect his very soul. "Harry," she finally said. "You are me second Apprentice. Even though, at first, I only wanted to teach you a little, you have grown to be my full Apprentice, worthy of the honour that entails. And even if that wasn't enough, and it is, you have come to help me, even at danger of your own life. You have made a magic-sister out of my first Apprentice, and you have become as family to both of us. You need only ask."

Harry nodded. "I'm asking for your help, Sensei."

Ken dipped her head once, and put a hand on his shoulder. "I must go, and make arrangements. Shall we meet here again, tomorrow evening for you? I think I can arrange something in a day and a half."

Harry smiled gratefully. "That's great, Sensei! Thank you!"

Ken returned his smile. "I am your teacher, Harry. I will do what I can. Until tomorrow." Harry nodded as she vanished, and he turned to Maya.

"I have no idea what she has in mind," Maya replied immediately. He smiled ruefully. She returned the smile before becoming serious once again. "Can you show me what happened?"

Harry drew a comforting breath. "I'll show you tomorrow, when Sensei is here as well. I'd rather not relive it a second time," he answered honestly.

Maya smiled. "I understand."

"I think I'd better wake up now… I have the feeling my Headmaster is there, and I have some more things to talk about."

Maya nodded in encouragement. "I'll ride shotgun. It might keep your calm enough… or not, seeing how you dealt with one of your friends."

Harry grinned ruefully at her as he vanished from his mindscape. Five seconds later, he woke up, seeing Headmaster Dumbledore sitting next to his bed.

"Hello Headmaster," Harry said, pulling himself upright.

"Good evening, Harry," Dumbledore relied politely. "I must admit that the timely fashion of your waking up surprised me."

"I was meditating in my sleep," Harry replied, not feeling the need to hide the truth. As Dumbledore blinked, he went on, "and there's nobody here that can't know that."

Surprise flickered across Dumbledore's eyes momentarily, before being replaced by his usual grandfatherly expression. "You wanted to talk to me, Harry?"

Harry nodded. "What happened to my staff, sir? I found my sword next to my bed, but my staff seems to be missing."

"We searched for it, Harry, but we have been unable to locate it. Can you tell me what happened?" Dumbledore replied.

Harry sighed, he had been expecting that answer. "An _expelliarmus_ caught me unaware, and a banishment did the rest. The staff landed outside of the wards they put up around the area, I couldn't summon it back. And with the wards around Hogwarts being what they are, I can't summon it here, either. I guess I'll need to go back when I'm better and retrieve it."

Dumbledore nodded. "I will do my best to arrange something, Harry."

"Thank you, Sir," Harry replied honestly.

"Now, why don't you tell me the real reason you asked me here this evening?" Dumbledore said, eyes twinkling. Harry chuckled slightly.

"Nothing gets past you, does it, Sir?" Harry said, smiling as the Headmaster's eyes twinkled more than usual. Harry sighed. "I must ask you something, and I am not sure if you will be able to do as I ask."

"You will not know the answer unless you pose the question, Harry," Dumbledore answered.

Harry nodded. "It has come to my attention that two people within Hogwarts walls were, last summer, indoctrinated by the Dark Lord, and passed certain information on to him. Now these two people have come to realize what has happened, and managed to turn away from Voldemort." Harry looked directly at the Headmaster. "Sir, I believe I am now in the unenviable position of having two people who turned away from the Dark and wish to rejoin the Light. Can I ask you to forgive these two people, and trust them?"

Dumbledore's twinkle died out as he studied Harry during his speech. Finally, after a terse silence, he spoke. "You have obviously thought quite a lot about this." He glanced around the room. "Am I correct in assuming that these two people you are referring to are Miss Greengrass and Miss Davies?"

Harry nodded. "You assume correctly, Sir," he replied, feeling Maya chuckle in the background as he managed his reply evenly. "I can not divulge why I trust them, nor what has happened. I believe I now know how you feel about Snape."

"_Professor_ Snape, Harry," Dumbledore corrected. Harry bit his tongue. "But yes, I believe you do. And I believe I know why you find it so hard to trust him, when confronted by such an answer."

Harry shrugged, and remained silent, aware that he had not yet received an answer. Dumbledore was silent for ten long seconds, before nodding. "Very well. I will trust you as I wish you to trust me, and I will not press sanctions against Miss Greengrass or Miss Davies."

"Thank you, Sir, but that was not the true reason for explaining this to you. Successful spies as they were, they did not leave evidence, and you were unaware of their actions until I told you. The reason I am explaining this to you, Sir, is that they need protection. Their families are Death Eaters. They need to be protected." He drew a breath. "And that includes protection against any retaliation by house mates, too."

Dumbledore nodded. "I assumed as much," he replied finally. "I will try my best, Harry, but not even I am infallible," he answered, his blackened hand peeking from underneath his sleeve.

Harry looked down at it. "I might be able to take care of that for you, Sir." He looked up. "If you promise me to do more than your best for them… I have seen your protections on me, Sir, and frankly, they worry me."

Dumbledore sighed deeply. "I know I have failed you often in the past, Harry."

"Yes, you, have, Sir," Harry replied with brutal honesty, making the two Slytherins across the room stare at him with open mouths.

"Very well, Harry, I will make the necessary arrangements for the protections of Miss Greengrass and Miss Davies. And when you are better, I invite you to come by my office, and try what you have in mind for my hand."

Harry smiled, knowing that the Headmaster was humouring him on the last part, and had just agreed to protect them even before his attempt.

After all, Ken had forbidden him from using Blood Seals on _her_. Immediately, he heard Maya gasp. He bit off a curse. He had forgotten she could hear him so well.

"Thank you, Sir," Harry managed through the heavy berating he was receiving from his magically bonded sister. Dumbledore nodded, and excused himself. On his way out, he stopped to converse for a few minutes with the other three occupants of the Hospital wing, before leaving.

"Harry… you really stood up for us," Daphne said when the Wing was empty and quiet.

Harry shrugged. "I won't say you're friends yet, even if I threw that in Ron's face. But I trust you… maybe because of the Oath, I don't know, but something tells me I can trust you. And that is more than I can say about ninety-nine percent of the wizarding world. Most of them will stab me in the back and sell me to Voldemort for a few Galleons, I'm sure of it."

"Cynical, but oddly accurate, I think," Tracey said. "But still… thank you, Harry."

Harry snorted. "Don't thank me yet. I don't trust Dumbledore's protections too much…" he trailed off, and thought about something. "If anything happens, I want you to tell me, okay? I want to know if someone comes after you." He closed his eyes, and grabbed his sword. Without realizing he did it, he pulled it into the bed with him. "I'll not permit anyone to get hurt because of me. Never again," he whispered, thinking nobody heard him.

Because of the sword next to him, tightly locked in his hand, his quiet whisper went quite far, and Daphne, Tracey, and Luna heard him. Silently, the three girls locked eyes with one another.

Harry didn't notice, and just closed his eyes. Hunger gnawed at him, the reconstruction of his body and his mind taking its toll on his energy reserves. Knowing it was a few hours until dinner still, he drew a breath and forced his body to relax. After the months of practice he had, his body reacted instantly. His heart-rate and breathing slowed, and Harry fell into a light slumber.

That evening, two slytherins commented on Harry's figure as he wolfed his way through enough food to feed four people. Grinning, Harry said that he needed the energy to replenish what he had last rebuilding his body.

After saying that they'd need Occlumency before he'd explain more, the subject was dropped, and Harry dozed off early, eager to get back to work on his mindscape.

That night, he did not meet up with Ken, although Maya did drop by for a small chat before vanishing earlier than usual. The secretive grin on her face did not sit right with Harry, but he refused to look into her mind and sneak a peek. Maya had grinned at him, and told him to keep working on his mental shields, so she wasn't subjected to his every thought, even if she didn't want them.

After she left, that had been Harry's focus. He could still remember the scolding he had received after he thought about using the Blood Seals on Dumbledore. He had managed to convince her to keep quiet, but he knew that she did not like it one bit.

He didn't blame her.

Harry woke up, feeling refreshed, that next morning. This evening, Ken had promised him help. He wondered about what kind of help he would be getting, and before he knew it, Madam Pomfrey had declared him healthy, along with the three girls.

After they had left, and Daphne and Tracey had made their way to the dungeons, where the Slytherin Common Room lay, Harry walked with Luna to the kitchen. He was still feeling hungry, his mindscape's reconstruction taking its toll.

Luna seemed to understand as he explained. He tickled the pear, and opened the door. Not half a minute later, they were seated at a small table just off the kitchen, with plenty of food in front of them.

"So, Luna," Harry said as he shoved some Shepard's Pie down his throat. "I didn't get a chance to ask... those animals on your night clothes, what are they?"

Luna looked at him, her silver eyes twinkling. "Snorkacks," she replied honestly. "I put them there myself."

Harry whistled, impressed. "Nice work," he complimented her. She shrugged it off.

"Nobody sells Snorkack pyjamas," Luna explained. "Besides, they're just ordinary Snorkacks, not Crumple-Horned ones... I don't think I'm good enough to do Crumple-Horned ones."

Harry lifted his eyebrows at that. "You did the ordinary Snorkacks just fine, what makes you think you can't do the Crumple-Horned ones?" he asked, ignoring the little Hermione-inside-his-mind that added, _besides the obvious, that they don't exist_.

"Oh, you wouldn't know, of course," Luna said. "You see, ordinary Snorkacks are brown in their natural colour, but are able to change it with their surroundings. That's why I can embroider them. The Crumple-Horned ones change colour so often that we don't know what their natural colour is, and most of the time, they're completely invisible. Father and I think they might be coloured in ultra-violet, invisible to the naked eye."

Harry nodded. "I can see why it would be difficult to embroider invisible animals." He sighed. "Although they just might pop up somewhere. Like the Threstrals."

Luna dipped her head. "I do hope that it's nothing like the Threstrals," she answered finally. "Witnessing death for the Threstrals is bad enough. I don't want to contemplate what might be required in order to see Crumple-Horned Snorkacks." She shrugged then. "Although it might be worth it."

Harry chuckled darkly, and finished off the plate of spaghetti and dug into a pumpkin pie for desert. He could feel his body doing overtime, converting the food into energy, which was siphoned off just as quickly by his rebuilding mind.

He found no need to go his Common Room, and apparently, neither did Luna, as they took quite a leisurely stroll on the grounds. He found it curious that he was able to talk to her so easily, before remembering that she was the only one that had offered any meaningful and helpful advice right after his godfather died. Luna, strange as she was with her incredibly powerful Occlumency shields, was easy to talk to.

She just took a while to figure out when she talked back, and Harry found that he was getting better at it. Perhaps because he played along, but he found that her strange stories usually had some weird strain of truth in them, and her strange and unusual way of talking was refreshing, in a way. He didn't have to think about being someone else... he could just be Harry, and be sure that she would not judge him.

The parted right before dinner, going back to their Common Rooms for a quick shower and change of clothes, washing the last of the hospital smell away. Already, Harry's thoughts drifted from Luna to Ken.

He sat there, at the dinner table, wondering what Ken would have in store for him later on. In fact, he was worrying so much that he was quite startled when Ron suddenly yelled 'BOO' in his right ear.

"Ron!?" Harry yelled, quite angrily.

Half the Gryffindor table was laughing, and Harry noticed that some of the Hufflepuffs, over at the table closest to theirs, were laughing as well. "Sorry, mate, but you were a million miles away and you wouldn't answer to any of us," Ron said, in between guffaws.

Harry grunted. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," he said, shooting a grin at the guffawing Hufflepuffs, which soon turned around and went back to their conversation, seeing that he wasn't going to stand up and start hexing people. The Gryffindors, too, soon went back to their conversations.

"So, want to tell us what you were thinking about?" Hermione asked, from her position on the other side of the table, facing the two males.

Harry shrugged, and looked around pointedly. "Not really," he answered honestly. Hermione got the point, Ron following a few seconds later. Food appeared on the table at that moment, and all talk on Harry's daydreaming was forgotten.

"What are you going to be teaching next in the DA, mate?" Ron asked, trying to change the topic after Harry's earlier daydream, and his obvious inability to speak of it.

"We are going good on Occlumency," Harry replied. "As soon as the shields are good, we'll start on the basics... I'm thinking of dividing each session into two. First half, practice our regular spells, kinda like last year. The second half, I figure I'll start on the basics of my new secrets. Elements and stuff," Harry replied, formulating the plan he had been thinking up for a while now. "Any luck with that book we found in Hogsmeade?" he asked Hermione.

The brunette shook her head. "Not yet, Harry, I'm not done with the book yet, I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "Don't be, I'm sure you'll figure things out in no time. You are the brightest witch of our generation, after all," he answered with a smile in her direction. She flushed with the praise, and looked at her plate. Just as she was about to reply, the doors to the Great Hall thumped open.

The chatter and noise of eating and talking students vanished immediately as two people strode confidently into the room, aiming directly for the Head Table.

The first figure moved with a limp, and wore a bright red and white robe and a hood over its head. Staff in one hand, it moved gracefully to the Head Table, not once sparing a glance to look around the room.

The second figure, smaller, obviously younger, walked two paces behind the first, and was dressed in blue and white, a blue hood over its head. The second person too, had a staff in hand.

Harry was gobsmacked. Was _this_ the help promised him by Ken?

The first figure had reached the Head Table by now, and it stopped five paces before the teacher's table. Throwing back the hood, the figure gave Harry a second startle.

"Lord Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore," Mahou mo Ken spoke in flawless English.

To everyone's amazement, Dumbledore actually looked shocked for a second, before standing up, and bowing. "Mahou mo Ken-sama," he replied with her Japanese address. "Good evening."

"Good evening," Ken answered levelly. "I have come on the behest of my Lord, the Emperor of Japan, to protect, guide, teach, and if necessary, retrieve one of the citizens of Magical Japan."

Dumbledore's eyes flashed to harry before settling on Ken. "Might I enquire as to the identity of this citizen?"

Ken remained silent for just a second. "You yourself have already correctly identified him, Lord Dumbledore. You are indeed correct. Harry Potter is the citizen in question."

This time, it was Dumbledore who was silent for a second. "Might I also enquire as to why the Emperor of Japan would send his most esteemed Bodyguard, the Commander of his own Strike Team?"

A small gasp went through the room as some of the Purebloods stared at the woman, then at Harry, and back to the woman. This woman was as known in the Asian lands as Dumbledore was known in Europe.

"Why would he deny the request of a Master who wishes to be at her Apprentice's side?" Ken answered levelly. Harry had to bite the inside of his cheek at Dumbledore, who actually seemed at a loss for words for a few seconds.

"Why indeed," he answered.

Ken dipped her head. "If you have no further immediate questions, Lord Dumbledore, I would like to join my Apprentice now. It has been a long and hard voyage to arrive her as quickly as my Apprentice and I did." for just a moment, something flashed in her eyes. "Perhaps if it suits you, Lord Dumbledore, we can have a meeting after dinner, to discuss the safety rate in this school, the living conditions imposed upon my Apprentice over summer, and the methods of teaching employed by certain members of your staff?"

Harry could _feel_ the underlying emotions within that single statement, even if it was delivered with a flat and neutral voice. "Of course, Ken-sama. How does eight sound? I will, of course, prepare quarters for you and your Apprentice."

Ken dipped her head. "Thank you, Lord Dumbledore."

Harry locked eyes with Hermione, sitting right in front of him, and Dean Thomas, sitting in front of Ron. He stood up, and shot them an inquiring look as he did so. Both of them got the point. Soon, they started moving. Creating two free spots.

By then, Harry was fully to his legs. "Ken-Sensei," he said in the full quiet of the Great Hall as he bowed.

Ken stalked over to him, her limp present but obviously not hindering her. "Harry," she answered, smiling slightly. "It's good to see you are out of the infirmary."

"I heal quickly, Sensei," he answered with a small smile. "Good evening, Maya. It's great to see both of you again."

"It's good to see you too, brother," Maya answered, smiling. By now, the Gryffindor table had created two free seats, everyone still staring at the conversation Harry was having with these two women.

"Please, sit down," Harry said, indicating the two seat liberated in front of him. New flatware had appeared as the House Elves realized new people had taken place. He sat down as well.

"Try the rice dish," he recommended, indicating the dish in question. "It's incredible."

Finally, he glanced around, seeing how everyone was _still_ staring at him. "I think we're attracting attention," Harry said, looking at his teacher and his magic-sister. "I think you made quite an entrance."

Maya smiled, and busied herself with eating the rice dish Harry had recommended. He got nothing but amusement from his link to her. Ken merely smiled at him. "I think the crowd was impressed by our entrance, as well as the fact that we have been speaking nothing but Japanese since finishing the English conversation with Dumbledore."

Harry flushed; "Woops," he said in English. "In any case... Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, this is Mahou mo Ken, my Sensei, and this is Maya, my fellow Apprentice. Sensei, Maya, These are Hermione and Ron, my best friends."

The Great Hall was silent; one could hear a pin drop as everyone, including the teachers at the Head Table stared at Ken and Maya.

For close to five seconds, nobody spoke as Harry looked at his two visitors as if Christmas had come early and Ron and Hermione tried to figure out what to say. Finally, it was Hermione who broke the silence.

"Pleased to meet you," she managed to get through her parched lips. "So, Harry… the secret of the source of your new abilities has finally come out, it appears."

Harry shrugged and glanced at Ken and Maya. Ken looked as composed as ever, while Maya looked on with vaguely suppressed laughter, her eyes twinkling and a giant smile on her face, enjoying the ruckus their arrival had created in the Great Hall.

The rest of dinner passed quickly for Harry, the excitement totally killing his appetite. At the same time, he didn't feel like making small talk, and kept himself busy talking _privately_ with Maya. His friends, getting the point, just let him stare off in the distance.

After dinner, Ken and Maya got up, ready to talk to the headmaster. Harry got up to follow them. Just before walking away, he turned to Hermione. "Can you arrange for a DA meeting tonight? Just get as many people together in the Room of Requirement... let's say, at eight. With the arrival of Ken-Sensei and Maya, I think it became time I answered some questions." He glanced at the Slytherin table, where he caught the eye of Draco Malfoy.

Giving a surreptitious nod, he looked back at Hermione. "Try and get the message to Draco, Daphne, and Tracey. They should be there as well. I have a feeling that I'll have a lot of explaining to do, and I'd rather not do it more than once."

The bushy-haired brunette just nodded mutely before he turned and left, following his teacher and the girl that had become his sister in all but blood. Sooner than Harry would have liked, they were standing in front of the Gargoyle that protected the entrance to the Headmaster's office.

"We'll need a password, Sensei," Harry explained, only now realizing that Dumbledore had not given them one.

Ken just dipped her head, and glared at the stone protector. "You will permit us entrance," she stated. The Gargoyle did not react. "I am not accustomed to repeating myself," the woman said after the Gargoyle made no indication that it was about to move.

Finally, it leaped aside and permitted them entrance. She dipped her head as she passed. "Next time, obey immediately. I will not be so forgiving a second time."

As they reached the end of the revolving staircase, the door opened on its own. "Welcome to my office," Dumbledore said, coming from behind his desk to greet his guests. "And once again, I would like to extend my welcome to you and your Apprentice."

Ken dipped her head. "Appreciated, Lord Dumbledore." She walked to one of the chairs, and flowed down into it with as much grace as she could muster. Maya kept her face neutral, and sat down on the right-hand side of Ken. Harry, getting the point, sat down on the left.

Dumbledore merely sat down in his own chair, behind his desk, and surveyed them. "You wanted to discuss certain issues with me, Ken-sama?"

"As stated earlier, I have come to guide and teach my second Apprentice, who , according to my information, has been neglected by you personally and this institution in general. According to the information I have received, the safety rate in this school is atrocious, the living conditions imposed upon my Apprentice over summer are abominable, and the methods of teaching employed by certain members of your staff are horrendous, and are probably banned under multiple non-magical as well as magical treaties. _Prisoners of war_ are treated better!" Her voice rose sharply at the end, right before she contained herself.

Dumbledore looked stricken for just a moment, before he quickly composed. It lasted but a small moment, but Harry had clearly seen it. He glanced at Ken. Had she seen it, too? "Perhaps we can take this one issue at a time, Ken-sama."

Ken drew a deep breath. "As you wish, Lord Dumbledore. The safety rate of this school, I believe, is my primary concern. My Apprentice is now in his sixth year. Every year before this one, his life has been endangered by something within these very walls." She motioned for Harry, and put a hand on his shoulder. The symbolism of the gesture was not lost on Harry, and apparently, neither was it lost on Dumbledore. "Do you require a list of transgressions, Lord Dumbledore?"

Dumbledore sagged in his chair. "I believe I am aware of the events in question, although the circumstances..."

"The circumstances are known to me, Lord Dumbledore. In fact, item number two is the horrendous teaching methods in employ by some of your teachers." She squeezed Harry's shoulder. "Although that was a fortune in a misfortune. Had your teacher not done such a thorough job in demolishing Harry's defences, I never would have been able to meet him."

"Professor Snape is a Master Occlumens! He was tasked with teaching Harry Occlumency. Ken-sama, I must insist that..."

"Lord Dumbledore," Ken stated calmly, interrupting him, but still shutting him up quite effectively. The woman looked totally composed, except for her eyes.

She was livid, and Maya unconsciously shot a worried look at her teacher. Harry remained quiet, head bent, not liking being the centre of attention like this.

"Your _teacher_, the one tasked with such an important mission, destroyed Harry's mental defences. My Apprentice was totally open, completely vulnerable, not even able to build a mental safety room, let alone deal with any intruders. I would very much like to meet this person, and convey my displeasure personally, face-to-face."

Dumbledore swallowed deeply. "Ken-sama, I must insist that Professor Snape tried..."

Ken closed her eyes, her head bending slightly. Dumbledore shut up. Harry swallowed when he felt his teacher next to him. He could practically feel the rage come off her. "Your Professor Snape, Lord Dumbledore, almost destroyed my Apprentice's ability to erect mental shielding. He was lucky I managed to find him, and guide him, when I did. Had I not, he would have lost the ability to protect himself... permanently. This is not even a failure to teach... this is intentional malevolence, a deliberate attack against my Apprentice. And as you know, Lord Dumbledore, magical Japan has strict rules when dealing with Apprentices. An attack against the Apprentice is an attack against the Master."

She opened her eyes. They were storming. "Even though your Professor Snape has already attacked my Apprentice since this year started, after he became my Apprentice, I will let it slide. Once. Now that you have been warned, I expect no further transgressions, Lord Dumbledore. Next time I hear of an attack, I will demand the head of the transgressor, even if I have to cut it off myself."

"O-of course, Ken-sama. I will talk with Professor Snape," Dumbledore replied, honestly at a loss on how to handle the situation. Ken was outside of his influence, and dealing with her in another fashion could be misconstrued as an attack against Magical Japan. She was an emissary from the Emperor himself, her political position was firmly entrenched at the moment, and she was indeed within her right to ask for retribution when an attack took place against one of her Apprentices.

"Might I enquire as to when harry became a citizen of Magical Japan?" Dumbledore asked, finally seeing a way to get out of this.

"The moment I declared him my Apprentice, he became a citizen of Magical Japan, Lord Dumbledore," Ken replied with clipped tones. "The Emperor himself has authorized it."

Dumbledore cursed inwardly. Harry could now, legally, move to Japan with Ken and leave his influence forever. He needed to find a way to rectify this, or the boy would leave and then there would be no-one to stop Voldemort.

"How about Harry's friends? Did they become citizens? If Harry left with you..." Dumbledore let the comment trail, and he was pleased to note that Harry winced. Ken's face twisted for a fraction of a second, while Maya's knuckles were white from clenching her staff.

"Harry had no intentions of leaving Hogwarts, or Britain," Ken stated. "But using his friends against him in such a manner is low, Lord Dumbledore. I am very much inclined to walk to the consulate, contact the Emperor, and ask for an immediate immigration process for Harry's friends." She drew a breath. "I will not do so unless forced. Now, on to the last point of our conversation. The living conditions over the summer are little better than what he has at school; his life my not be in danger, but his sanity and his health sure is. He is starved, belittled, and overworked, forced to live with people that hate him and all magical people."

"They are his relatives, surely they love him," Dumbledore replied with his standard answer.

"Love him? He was lucky they did not kill him!" Ken snapped, angrily. "I have witnessed the memories of my Apprentice, back when he was learning to protect himself. I have seen the damage done by these so-called loving relatives. Tell me, Lord Dumbledore, would you put a Jewish child with a known Nazi family, and claim it was 'safe' and 'protected'?"

"Surely you jest, Ken-sama..."

"I jest not when it comes to the safety of my Apprentices, Lord Dumbledore," Ken said, her tone cold. "And I would thank you for not insulting my honour in such a manner again."

The elderly headmaster winced visibly. Whatever he said seemed to make things worse. He knew he had made mistakes with Harry... but that they were of this magnitude... no, that he had not foreseen.

"All I can do is apologise, Ken-sama. I was unaware of this," he finally said, hoping to abate her anger.

"Did you even check, Lord Dumbledore?"

"To my shame, I must admit that I did not," he replied with head bent.

Ken was silent. When no further information was forthcoming, she turned to Harry. "I am here now, my Apprentice. You will not return to your relatives, but will spend the summer with me, in Japan. Unfortunately, I can not remain here all year round, as my duties require me in Japan, but know that I will be here as often as I can." She glanced at Maya. "I will ask Maya if she could stay with you."

"Of course, Sensei," Maya replied immediately.

Ken smiled slightly. "But this is for the future. For now, I am here, and I will work on your training, full time."

"I must protest, the blood wards that protect Harry..."

"Are meaningless now that your Lord Voldemort used Harry's blood to return to life. The wards around my house are sufficient, as well as hiding him on the other side of the world," Ken replied levelly. "Any other objections, Lord Dumbledore?"

Dumbledore had to admit that, for the moment, he could not say anything else. Ken had the upper hand, and he needed to think and gather information to make his counter-move.

"Good," Ken said, smiling slightly upon his admittance. "I bid you good night, Lord Dumbledore."

"Good night, Ken-sama. Permit me to show you to your rooms..."

"I will stay with my Apprentice," Ken replied levelly. She looked at Harry. "Show me to your... Common Room... I will set up shelter for myself and Maya."

Harry nodded hurriedly, trying not to burst out laughing at the sight of Dumbledore's face. He left, Ken and Maya right behind him.

**End of Chapter**


	8. Preparations

**Mahou** **mo Ken**

All rights to Harry Potter and its world, characters, and settings belong to JK Rowling. I don't own any of its characters, and I am not making any money off this.

Author's note – as I am unable to find a schedule for Year Six of the Harry Potter books, I made use of the daily course schedule of book five, found at the HP Lexicon. Thanks, guys!

**Chapter eight – Preparations**

Harry looked at the DA, his gaze sliding over them one by one. Knowing he had Ken and Maya there with him filled him with elation and trepidation at the same time. He felt naked without his staff, and he realized that he would have to go out tomorrow and retrieve it somehow; he could not afford to walk around without his primary weapon.

"First of all, I want to thank all of you for coming on such short notice," Harry said, going as far as dipping his head in the direction of Draco, Daphne, and Tracey. They were standing by themselves, a little away from the DA. He drew a breath, and paced slightly in front of them, his hands linked behind his back.

"Things are changing," he said. "The Death Eaters and Voldemort have decided to attack us. We had few casualties, for which I count ourselves very lucky." He stopped his pacing, and turned to face them once more.

Ken and Maya, standing behind him, watched his every move. They saw how riveted the people present were, hanging on Harry's lips, listening to his every word, and the two Japanese witches realized that Harry Potter, their Apprentice and fellow student respectively, held a command presence that was hard to ignore.

"When we were attacked," Harry said then, "I told the people next to me to cover each other, and get away." he motioned for Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, and Luna. As one, they stepped out of the group, and stood next to him.

"When I asked you to cover each other, you did so admirably," he said. "You even returned here, as I asked of you." He stopped in front of Luna. "I did not do so well. My concentration lapsed for one second, and you got captured because of it," he said the latter while facing Luna, but everyone heard his words.

"For that I'm sorry," he said.

Luna was silent for a few seconds, then locked her large silver eyes with his green ones. "Then I am sorry too, Harry. You came after me. You tried to shield me. I am sorry for breaking your concentration when I was hit by the Cruciatus."

Harry stared at her, ignoring the gasp that came from the rest of the group. "Even though I was supposed to cover you, I failed in that duty. I was hit, and I screamed. I broke your concentration. For that I am sorry," she said.

"But that wasn't-" he started.

"It wasn't your fault either," she interrupted.

Harry bent his head, a smile tugging at his lips as a dry chuckle escaped them. "You're right, Luna. Thank you."

"Thank _you_, Harry," Luna said, her dreamy air returning as she focused on a spot on the far wall, about two meters to Ken's left, and a meter higher.

Harry shook his head, and turned. "After waking, I asked for help. As you all know, I have been training since this summer. I have explained the need for Occlumency. Well, we still need it, but things have come to a change. I got help." He stepped back, and motioned. "This is Mahou mo Ken, my Teacher, and this is Maya, my fellow Apprentice."

The group was silent, staring at the two women, hushed by Harry's introduction. They had seen him spar with them, they had seen his abilities against Draco, and now, he casually introduced the people that were teaching him.

"They will be training me," Harry went on. "And I, in turn, will be training you. They have been kind enough to come here and help me... if they find the time, maybe they will be able to assist in a lesson or two, but I am not going to impose on their generosity any more than I already am."

Maya just shot Harry a dirty look. Ken merely hid her smile, realizing what Harry was doing. Every lesson they would now participate in would be a bonus, not a given. Harry informed Maya via their link, and her look vanished.

He looked back at the group. "Anyway, I gathered you all here today instead of waiting until Saturday to introduce them. I also wanted to say how proud I was of these five people here-"

"As proud as we are of you," Luna interjected, suddenly lucid again, before dreamily smiling at the others. "Aren't we?"

The chorus of affirmation made Harry flush. "Erm... thanks..." Harry whispered, embarrassed by being praised for what he perceived was an almost-failure. "Anyway," he said, recomposing while the rest of the DA chuckled. "I also wanted to say how proud I am of each of you. You got out of there with minor injuries only, and I know some of you were in as thick as we all were." He swallowed, here would come the hard part.

"I've also asked three new people here tonight," he said, motioning for Draco, Tracey, and Daphne. Draco gave a sarcastic wave, while the two girls merely offered weak smiles. The DA started to grumble. "The reason I asked them here is simple. All three of them have turned their backs on their families, in some cases, their friends, and on Voldemort."

The DA gasped.

"I need to know I can count on you to help them," Harry said, standing erect, legs spread slightly, hands linked behind his back like a full general. "All three of them are very likely going to be receiving a lot of problems from their own house. I want each and every one of you to look out for them as if they were your own." He looked at the Slytherin Trio. "Unless you would like to join the DA, in which case, everyone _would _be looking out for one of their own."

The DA exploded in shouts and screams. Harry lifted his hands. He did not get the quiet he wanted or hoped for. He screamed for silence. It did not work. He drew his wand, and cast a cannon charm into the air.

The explosion shut them up nicely, as they all stared at him as he stood there, wand pointing in the air, smoke still rising from his wand-tip.

"Finally," he said, coldly. "Draco, Daphne, and Tracey, are trustworthy," he stated, pocketing his wand and walking towards the Slytherin Trio. "I will personally vouch for them." He looked each in the eyes, and turned to the DA. The group looked less than happy.

"I am _not_ Dumbledore, as I had to remind my best friend," Harry said, motioning to Ron. "I will not say that 'I have my reasons' and expect you to trust me on my word." He glanced at the Slytherins, who shared a glance, and nodded. Harry nodded back, gratefully. He looked at the DA. "In fact, I will not expect any of you to make any negative comment on these three until you have come here and give me your Unbreakable Vow of loyalty, as these three have done."

Daphne and Tracey knew of each other, of course. Draco knew only of himself, and stared at the two witches, just as they stared at him. Harry smiled slightly at the shocked look on the faces of most of the DA members. He had procured Draco's vow earlier, having gotten the idea from Daphne and Tracey, and the Malfoy heir had given it quite freely, unable to resist the urge to ask Harry what took him so long.

"They made an Unbreakable Vow?" Cho Chang asked.

Harry dipped his head. "They did, indeed. And as I said, I do not expect anyone to badmouth them unless I receive their own Vows first."

"Why should we vow to you?" Someone at the back asked. Harry wasn't sure about the identity of the person speaking, although he could think it was Justin Flinch-Fletchly.

Harry chuckled. "I am not asking you. I merely asked _them_. They gave it to me, to show they had truly broken with Voldemort. They vowed honesty and loyalty to me, so I am assured of both. And now I ask you, all of you, to look out for them, for they are on our side in this war."

The group grumbled. It was Ron, of all people, who said, "We will look out for them, Harry. I might not like Malfoy, and I'm sure that the feeling is mutual,"

"Completely," Draco Malfoy muttered under his breath.

"But if he did turn his back on V-V-Voldemort, then he can use the help against the rest of the greasy Slytherins. No offence."

Malfoy waved it off. "None taken, fire-dome."

Ron twitched, then shrugged. He _had_ started it with the greasy Slytherins crack.

Harry smiled. "Good. Then I expect no further problems?"

As he received nothing but shaking heads, he smiled. "Good. That was all I had to say... who would like to get out of here, and who would like some more practice? Since we're here, I thought we might as well practice a little."

"Practice!" most of them yelled, a cry that was soon taken over by the rest. Even the three Slytherin students looked interested, this would be their first DA session, after all.

Harry grinned widely, and turned to Ken and Maya. "Would you like to go to the Common Room? After all, it's been a long journey for you."

Ken shook her head. "I think I will stay here, my young Apprentice. I'm interested in seeing what you teach your students."

Maya merely shrugged. "I think I'll stay too, little brother."

Harry grinned at her. "Remember, if I'm young, that makes _you_ old, _Oneesan_."

Maya frowned, while the DA members stared at Harry, unaccustomed to hearing him banter with anyone. He turned back to them. "Okay, since I didn't prepare a lesson plan, how about a little recap on last Saturday's lesson?"

"Can you tell us what happened in Hogsmeade? Most of us were out of the Hospital Wing in little time, but you, Luna, and Daphne and Tracey," Ernie McMillan added the Slytherins as if by afterthought, "had to stay longer."

Harry's smile froze, before vanishing. Ken and Maya looked at him, wondering what he was going to say. Finally, he drew a breath. "Only because it will help you," he whispered. He glanced at Luna, who was looking at yet another spot on the while, staring at something only she could see. He glanced over to Daphne and Tracey. They just shrugged. He nodded.

He ended up giving a blow-by-blow description, trying to keep his voice as steady as possible, trying to merely say which spells he used and were used against him. His treacherous emotions tried to overwhelm him when he explained that he lost his focus for just one moment, which was all it took for Luna to be taken right from under his nose. He explained how he went after Luna and her kidnapper, what he saw when he came across Tracey and Daphne, how he helped them before going after the kidnapper again.

And finally, he had to bring his Occlumency to full power to explain what happened in the clearing in the Forbidden Forest, how he lost his staff in the end, and how it was his sword that finally defeated his opponent, and how lucky he was that the wards fell the exact moment Lucius Malfoy threw a _Reducto_ through his side.

Finally, his tale ended, and he was left shaking, staring at the ground, his breath ragged and uneven. He drew a deep breath, forcing relaxation into his body. Nobody spoke.

"As you can see, focus is everything," he whispered in the full quiet of the Room of Requirement. "Lose your focus, and you might lose something important." He glanced at Luna. "In my case, it almost cost me a very valuable friend, and it cost me my weapon."

Luna smiled at him, and he could see the dreamy look re-enter her eyes as her Occlumency overcame her focus on his explanation. The rest remained quiet, digesting his story for themselves, before slowly a low conversation broke out as friends discussed what they had heard and thought.

"We will need to retrieve your staff, Harry," Ken spoke from behind him.

"Of course, Sensei," Harry replied, his voice respectful. "I was thinking of tomorrow, I can't get out of the castle tonight."

"You can not rely on external protections all the time," Ken answered. "Tomorrow will be fine, Harry. But remember for next time, to always retrieve your staff as early as possible... I have a feeling it's reasonably safe where it is, but if someone found it, it might be used against you."

Harry nodded. "Thank you, Sensei."

Ken dipped her head. The conversations had died out again, now that they heard Ken and Harry talk. It was hard to miss how Harry became so much stronger in such a short period of time... if only their teachers were like Ken, they too, would have gone up as fast as Harry was. Then most of the DA realized that they were indeed, getting stronger. Harry was teaching them.

"If I may make a suggestion," Ken then said to Harry.

"Of course, Sensei! Always!" Harry said, glad to have her helping him.

"A lesson in focus after your well-told recollection of Hogsmeade," Ken suggested. "Create a couple of targets, fire mild curses at it... and meanwhile, distract them."

The DA swallowed. That sounded difficult. Harry nodded. "That sounds like an interesting exercise, Sensei." He smiled. "Almost as interesting as the exercises you put me through."

Ken smiled. "I do try to keep my lessons fun, as well as interesting."

"Oh, they are, most definitely," Harry said, smiling. He turned to the DA while thinking _I need targets for target practice_. All along the side walls, the book cases were replaced by targets. "All right," he said after everyone stopped gawking at the targets. "Split into groups of two or three... one of you fire stunners at the targets, try and hit the bull's eye. The others, distract them. Try and get them to miss... anything goes except physical violence, OK?"

The DA members nodded, and started dispersing. Harry walked over to where Draco was preparing himself to fire at the target, Tracey and Daphne grinning at the prospect of distracting him.

"So, how are you finding your first lesson?" Harry asked.

"If all your lessons are like this, Potter, it's not surprising that the members of your group scored the highest defence results," Malfoy grunted.

"Back to last names, are we?" Harry grinned. "Besides, I think I win, you haven't fired a single stunner."

Draco grunted under his breath. "I'll get you for this, _Harry_." He started firing stunners. Tracey and Daphne suddenly started yelling in his ear, casting stray spells that _almost_ hit him, and generally making nuisances of themselves. He grinned, and winked at the two girls. They returned the smile, and winked right back, not once interrupting their harassing of Draco Malfoy.

"Have fun, Draco," Harry said as he turned to inspect the others. Here and there, he correct a stance, and offered advice.

"You're really good at this," Ken said, standing next to him after his finished his circle of shooting and harassing students. "You're doing an admirable job here. I can see why you wanted to teach them some basics of Japanese magic."

Harry smiled at the compliment. "Thank you, Sensei. It means a lot to me to hear you say that."

Ken merely smiled, and said nothing. Ten seconds later, she added in, "Besides, aren't you forgetting something?"

Harry frowned at her. "Sensei?"

"Yourself."

He smiled, his smile soon turning into a grin. "You're correct, of course, Sensei," he said. He glanced around. All targets were taken. Now that his need was there, a new target appeared, on the back wall, and Harry's grin widened. He liked the Room of Requirement. "Oneesan?" he asked Maya.

His magic-sister smirked widely. "Let's go," she said, grabbing his hand and practically dragging him to the wall.

"Go easy on me, Sis. I don't have my staff," Harry said as he lifted his wand.

"No excuse, Bro, _you_ lost your staff," Maya said, grinning.

Harry bit off a curse, knowing that she would still hear it through their link. Her laughter echoed across the Room of Requirement as he started casting stunners. Non-verbally. His wand looked like a blur as it whipped through the motions, one stunner after another ploughing into the exact centre of the target.

Maya grinned, and started whispering. Wind appeared in the Room then, distracting harassers and shooters, drawing their attention to what was happening at the back of the room.

Harry stood there, casting stunners, as wind tugged at his hair and his robes. It was obvious he was fighting for balance as gale-force winds slammed into him.

As sudden as the winds had come, they did out again, causing him to over-compensate. Losing his balance, he let himself fall, taking the fall into a roll and spinning to his feet, still casting at the target. Maya smiled widely. "Kuzuryusen."

The word send shivers down his spine, yet Harry stood his ground as the nine flashes bypassed him completely. Maya pouted. "You _knew_ I was going to miss you!"

Harry just grinned, not holding out on his casting. Maya then plastered herself to him, and blew gently in his ear. Harry shuddered, his steady rhythm of casting interrupting for just a few seconds, before it picked up again. This may be his sister in all but blood, but he was _also_ aware that this was a very pretty Japanese witch.

She stood back. "Stage two, Bro."

Harry merely dipped his head, not interrupting his casting in the slightest. By now, everyone had broken off and was staring at Harry Potter, chain-casting stunners at a speed they could not hope to match, while being distracted by his fellow student.

"I won't be holding back this time," Maya warned, planting her staff on the ground, closing her eyes, and starting to whisper. Energy crackled around the head of her staff, and a bolt of magical lightning struck the ground in front of Harry, making him duck and roll, interrupting his casting just long enough for him to get back on his feet. A second bolt struck the ground, and Harry rolled again, his casting resuming the moment he was out of his roll.

Gale-force winds added to the mix now, wind and lightning harassing him while he kept up his casting. The DA members could feel the bleed-over of the wind tugging at their own clothes, and they could see Harry struggling for breath.

Maya paled now, and _rain_ started flying on the wind, the icy cold biting into Harry's exposed flesh. For just a second, his casting interrupted as the icy cold struck him, before he picked up again.

She released her breath.

The elements died down, and Harry rolled once more, arriving at his original location, resuming his casting. They could see that the continuous use of the stunner was wearing him down now, not to mention the elements Maya had bombarded him with. And, worst of all, he was only out of the hospital since earlier in the day, and had yet to recuperate fully from the battle at Hogsmeade.

"Stage three," Maya whispered, grinning, pointing her staff at him. Harry shot her a worried glance, not interrupting his casting. His casting struck the wall, causing him to snap his head back, compensating so that he hit the target once more. He cursed under his breath, concerning distracting magic sisters and their magic-bending ways. Meanwhile, he kept casting stunners.

"You should keep your eyes on the target," Ken said. "Instead of glancing at your distraction."

Harry dipped his head. He had lost it again. Dammit. This was exactly what had happened in Hogsmeade.

A scream ripped through his body. Maya's scream. She sounded in pain. He gritted his teeth. What was happening? _It is an exercise. An exercise, Harry. Don't lose focus now._

He was more determined now. If they started using that kind of tactics on him, he would not... could not... fail. All he was was the target in front of him. He needed to keep casting at it.

He was totally focused now, as if he were working on his Occlumency shields. All there was to his world was the darkness and the target. He failed to notice Maya's tactics, didn't even see the tactics themselves. All he saw was his stunner hitting centre-target.

Just like he failed to notice his magical aura, pulling at his hair and his clothes. He failed to notice his stunner's power increasing. He was whispering the spell now, no longer silent, pushing everything he had behind it, focusing on the target.

The air in the Room of Requirement was thicker than smoke, reeking of magic, stinking of the power Harry was throwing into the target now. With each strike, they could feel the Room pulsing, dispersing the power across its entire surface.

Maya grinned. Ken smiled. "Good. He's focused. Finally," Ken said. The DA members stared at the woman. _This_ was Harry's teacher?

Maya nodded at Ken, who nodded back. "Kuzuryusen," Maya incanted.

Right before the nine flashes were to hit Harry, the ground of the Room of Requirement warped, flowing upward, intercepting the strike.

_This_ drew Harry's attention, as the transfigured ground exploded, showering him with debris. If that had hit him... it would have done serious damage.

He glanced around the room, at the shocked looks of the DA members, at the surprised looks on the face of Maya, and Ken's slight grin. Luna was the only one who was not surprised, her wand in her hand, its tip still glowing from the power exerted.

"I will cover you, Harry," she said, calmly.

"What happened?" he asked.

"She was about to hit you with a debilitating spell. I stopped it," Luna said, fully lucid now. Most of the others had not yet heard her in this state, and gawked at her.

"You over-focused," Ken said. "You ignored your surroundings, and Maya was about to teach you that lesson. Although I think your blond friend has your back."

"He had my back," Luna replied, still fully lucid. "He refused to step away. I will not step away either." She looked back at Harry, and her Occlumency slowly started taking over again. "You should be careful, Harry. You never know when Wollybarts might attack, and next time, I might not be near enough."

Harry smiled at her. "Thank you, Luna." He glanced around the room. Everyone was still staring in shock at the amount of magic he had pumped into the target, and the amount of magic his fellow Apprentice had thrown at him. "I think we've been here long enough." He glanced at the watch. "And I think it's after curfew, too. I guess we spent a lot longer here than I thought. Have a safe trip back, don't let Snape catch you."

They chuckled slightly at the joke, and dispersed, leaving one by one.

"Luna?" Harry asked as she walked by him on her way out.

"Yes, Harry?" she said, staring at him with her dreamy expression on her face, and he recognized her Occlumency's work.

"Thank you for just now. I didn't fancy another trip to the Hospital wing."

She smiled, and touched his shoulder. "You stood between me and two cutting curses," she answered dreamily. "No Wollybart or Wrackspurt will touch you when I'm near." She winked. "I know some excellent counter-curses, too," she went on on her normal tone of voice, yet saying it as if it were some great secret.

He smiled at her. "That's good to know, Luna. I'm counting on you to cover my back."

She smiled. "I will," she answered. "Good night, Harry."

"Good night, Luna. Don't let Snape catch you."

She smiled dreamily, and walked out of the Room. The last ones there were Ken and Maya, Ron and Hermione, and himself. "Come on, let's go to the Common Room."

"And hope we don't get caught," Hermione said. "We're prefects, we're supposed to set a good example."

"We're prefects," Ron said, "And that means we can be out after curfew."

Hermione shot him an angry look.

Harry just laughed. "Sensei? Maya? If you could follow me?"

Ken motioned for the door. "Lead the way, Harry."

They left quietly, walking to the Gryffindor Tower. Harry motioned silently for the trick steps on the moving staircases, and both Maya and Ken avoided them without apparent effort. Ron and Hermione just kept quiet, not wanting to draw any attention to themselves, either from the caretaker, or from any Professors who might be doing rounds. Silently, they wondered about Harry, how he had gotten such an easy report with his teacher and fellow apprentice.

Just as they were to start ascending the stairs that went up to the Common Room, disaster had to strike.

_Of course, _Harry thought, _things can't go right for once._

"Well, well, well," Snape sneered as he melted out of whatever shadow he had been lurking in. "I thought something strange was going on when I noticed a couple of Gryffindors slink through the halls earlier. It's a good thing I decided to keep an eye out." He gave a leer at the two Japanese witches, then turned his attention to the Gryffindor Trio.

"I guess it is not enough for you to make a grand spectacle during dinner, isn't that right, Mr. Potter? Now Your Majesty has to break the rules of Curfew as well."

Harry swallowed, refusing to take the bait. He felt Maya's amusement through the link, and it helped to calm him down. So far, it sounded pretty mild. Maybe he'd get away with a detention or two, perhaps some House Points lost, but that would be it.

"E-excuse me, professor Snape, but as a Prefect, it is all right for me to escort people after curfew," Hermione said, actually sounding a lot braver than she felt.

Snape turned his sneer on her. "Really, miss Granger? Even a Prefect as vaunted as you needs a _reason_ to be out after curfew. Pray tell, what excuse could you have for escorting our resident celebrity and his two uninvited guests?"

The sarcasm wasn't lost on Harry or his two guests. His fist clenched. How _dare_ he insinuate... Ken put a hand on his shoulder, and Harry calmed down slightly.

"I was... showing them the castle, Sir," Hermione answered, swallowing deeply.

"After curfew, miss Granger?" Snape replied, still sneering like a madman. "That's not a valid excuse."

He turned his glare on Harry. "Perhaps our young celebrity can tell me what the real reason was. Hm? Tell me, _Mister_ Potter, what excuse have you for strolling around at night? Or perhaps you would like to enlighten me on the fact that you are in the company of two foreigners. Tell me, _Mister_ Potter, just what are your reasons for involving foreigners in this? Are we humble British folk not good enough for you?"

Harry felt his anger rise, but somehow, managed to contain it. He glanced over his shoulder once, drawing reassurance from Ken's presence behind him, her hand on his shoulder.

Snape looked at the gesture. "Yes, she has you trained quite well. You actually manage to stay quiet for once." He glanced back down. "But I am still waiting for that reason, Mr. Potter."

"I was showing them the castle, Sir," Harry replied, through his seething anger.

"Really, now," Snape sneered. "And that after curfew. Tut, tut, Mr. Potter. I think I will have to deduct points. Let's see... fifteen points from Miss Granger and Mister Weasley, and twenty-five points from you, for bringing two uninvited bi-"

"Enough," Ken replied from behind Harry, not allowing the man to complete his insult.

"Really?" Snape said, grinning. "And why would I stop? You hold no official authority here. In fact, you are only here because Albus Dumbledore has allowed you here. For all I care, you could have been thrown out."

"It is a Master's right to stay with her Apprentice," Ken replied, stepping up, and standing right next to Harry, her hand remaining on his shoulder. "I have kept quiet, for I promised Albus Dumbledore I would not attack you for past transgressions. However, I feel that your current actions are warrant enough by themselves. True, we were out after curfew. However, that is no reason to belittle my student, his friends, nor us," she stated calmly, indicating herself and Maya.

Harry glanced at Maya when he felt nothing from her. He wished he hadn't. Her knuckles were white around her staff, and there was something fierce in her eyes. Something he recognized from his time when their magics had linked. This was Maya at her most fierce.

"I will treat _my_ students the way I see fit, _Miss_ Ken. But perhaps you could tell me why you have such an unhealthy obsession with that attention-seeking little boy?"

Ken seemed to take the insults in stride. Harry's hand slipped to his sword. His mind was blank. "How dare you," Harry whispered, his lips barely moving yet his voice sounded with a resonance that was patently unnatural. "Sensei is the best teacher I have ever had. She came halfway around the world to help me through this, one of the few people in my life who have actually tried to help me." A sharp click was heard as the sword unlocked from its scabbard, actually showing five centimetres worth of blade now. "She cared for me, taught me, and reversed damage that _you_ inflicted upon me. How dare you speak to her in such a manner?"

Snape sneered. "I bet you loved that, Mr Potter. Attention-seeking brat that you are, I bet you loved that."

Harry closed his eyes. The blade of his sword burst into flame, and Snape actually lifted an eyebrow in surprise when he felt the magic tug at his clothes.

"Harry," Ken said, calmly. "I have taught you never to draw your weapon unless you intend to use it. Do you wish to do him permanent and irreparable harm, or do you merely wish to silence him?"

Harry was silent for a few seconds, and it actually looked as if he might cut Snape to ribbons. With a sharp _snap_, the sword locked back into its scabbard. "I'm sorry, Sensei."

Ken merely dipped her head. "I am pleased that you would defend me in such a manner, Harry, but I am here and I am capable of protecting my own reputation... as well as yours." She smiled slightly at him as he glanced at her, showing that she was, indeed, pleased, and not angry.

Ken focused her attention on Snape, and all warmth left her eyes and general expression. Suddenly, he found himself against the wall, her staff pressed against the base of his head, pointing straight up. "You have attacked my student on multiple occasions, have caused him nearly irreversible mental harm, have caused him mental anguish, and have insulted both him and me. I am most displeased with those actions." She leaned closer to him, their noses almost touching. Her dark eyes were glowing in the darkness, and an unnatural light pulsed around the head of her staff.

"Please, draw that wand you are fingering. I will take utmost pleasure in dismembering you."

Snape's hand slipped away, leaving his wand where it was. "You are a coward," she stated, calmly. "But determined to stay alive, it seems. Then perhaps you will understand this. I will be here for the foreseeable future. After that, my second Apprentice will alternate his time between this... _school_... and his home with me in Japan. If I ever... and I mean _ever_... hear another bad word about you from him, I will make the things your so-called Dark Lord does to you look like child's play. Do you understand me?"

Snape sneered.

Her staff pressed into his skin. "I asked if you understood me?" she asked, ignoring the fact that a sharp hissing sound was audible from where her staff contacted his skin.

Snape grunted, and nodded. "Good. Now, I suggest you go see Headmaster Dumbledore. I have kept my promise, and have refrained from harming you. I suggest you go see him, and ask for a transfer. I do not wish to see you teaching my Apprentice anything, least of all the subject most important to him."

"You do not have the authority..." Snape began.

Ken straightened out. "Tell Dumbledore, should he not comply, that I will leave here with Harry, take him home with me, and never set foot in England again. Let Voldemort rule a country where men such as yourself are allowed to destroy the lives of students, for it does not deserve to be saved!" For the first time, her voice rose, and Snape seemed to press himself harder into the wall at the sound of her voice, distorting horribly with repressed magics.

"As much as it would please me to be rid of Potter, and how loathe I am to admit to blackmail, I do think that the Headmaster will admit to your... request." He looked at Harry. "Seeing how you've got a new teacher, Potter, get used to not taking any Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons."

Harry smiled mirthlessly. "Not from you, Sir." He glanced at Ken, a smile on his face. "I will be learning from a far better teacher."

Snape frowned deeply, and swept away, his cloak billowing behind him. Harry look at Ken. "My friends are going to suffer from this... as glad as I am about not taking any lessons from him anymore..."

Ken nodded. "He is a petty and small man, Harry. But I can only intervene when it comes to you, I can't tell the Headmaster anything concerning the others, I'm afraid."

Harry glanced apologetically at Ron and Hermione. Hermione looked at the same time, pleased that someone told off Snape, and white that someone had done such a thing to a Professor. Ron just look chuffed.

"Blimey, Harry, it'll be worth it! The look on his face!" Ron chortled.

Harry just nodded. "Sensei?" he then asked, turning to his teacher. "How long can you be here? This year, I mean?"

"I may be called away when my duties require me," Ken replied as they walked to the portrait that hid the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room. "However, I believe I will be able to stay at least until after New Year."

Harry frowned. "I wanted to ask if you could take over as Defence teacher, instead of Snape."

Ken chuckled. "I thought as much," she replied. "However, my duties require me in Japan. I will not be able to make such a commitment." She smiled slightly, and glanced at Maya. "However, Maya is far ahead of her peers..."

Maya blanched. "No, Sensei! I can't...!"

"We'll speak of this later, my Apprentice," Ken decided, as Hermione opened the portrait. Harry just chuckled slightly, every now and then shooting an amused glance at Maya.

As they entered, they found most of Gryffindor House assembled, waiting for the return of the one who had caused so much mayhem during the last hours of the day.

Somehow, Harry's lesson on looking out for each other had worked, as the Gryffindor DA members managed to derail the others after a mere five or ten minutes of shouted questions. Harry turned to Ken.

"Sensei? You said you would stay here, but unless you and Maya are planning on joining the girl's dormitory, I don't know where you can stay," he said when he found the time to do so.

Ken smiled. "Magic is a wonderful thing, Harry. The only limit is the limit of your imagination. Literally, magic places the world at your fingertips." She glanced around, aware that everyone was staring at her once again, now that they heard her answer to the question everyone had been asking, but nobody dared to voice.

She walked to a corner, framed between the large exterior wall, an interior wall, and right next to the fireplace. "I think this will do fine." She lifted her staff, closed her eyes, and whispered.

Harry was used to seeing Ken do magic, and he had a pleased smile on his face when he noticed the look of shock on the faces of his house mates. Nobody heard her speak, but everyone _felt_ the magic grip around her, reach for the two walls that made up her chosen corner.

Different then Harry's limited control, Ken's magic was merely felt, it did not manifest physically, it did not tug on clothes, or stink up the air. But still, they felt it, their own magical cores resonating for the intensity of Ken's superb control and hidden magical powers.

Her staff came down.

The moment the tip made contact with the ground, two additional walls sprung out of the ground, one of them sporting a door, reaching up to the ceiling, squaring off her chosen place. Ken opened her eyes, opened the door, threw a look inside, and smiled. "Good. For a moment there, I thought that the wards would actually stop me." She looked at the exterior wall, as if peering right through it. "These are probably some of the most potent wards I've ever seen."

Gryffindor House exploded with the sounds of exclamations of surprise, awe, and generally being impressed.

Harry just smiled through the ruckus, and shared a glance with Maya. _They remind me of you, when you first saw Ken-Sensei do magic,_ Maya sent him.

_Well, I'm still impressed by it, I just learned not to show my surprise any more,_ Harry replied cheekily. Maya merely sent back laughter.

00000

It had been an emotional evening for Harry, the excited Gryffindors keeping him up until well into the night, asking questions of Ken and Maya. Somewhat surprisingly for Harry, his teacher and his magic-sister had been an instant hit with his house, and both women had no problems regaling the excited British teens on tall tales from the other side of the world.

All in all, a busy evening and night, and Harry felt like turning over and going right back to sleep. Instead, he dragged himself out of bed and got dressed. He moved downstairs, somehow, his mind still on the soft bed he had left behind.

"There you are," Ken said, somewhat sternly. "We're going after your staff, and then we're picking up on your training... and as soon as we've gone through the morning routine, we'll need to start analysing that battle that got you in trouble."

Harry nodded, his mind kicking slowly into first gear as he left the Gryffindor Common Room, right behind his teacher and his sister, who had merely shot a sleepy good morning herself.

_At least I'm not alone in being tired at this ungodly hour,_ Harry thought as the cold air of the early morning hit him. As Ken and Maya set in a jog, Harry followed suit. His mind actually made it to full speed by the time they reached Hogsmeade, and Harry quickly showed them where everything happened, telling the story of the battle once more, indicating the places where everything happened.

Finally, they reached the spot where Harry had fought so desperately to save Luna. He closed his eyes, and drew a shaking breath. Where he had almost lost another friend.

Suddenly, he found a warm hand enclose his balled fist. Startled, he opened his eyes, and stared directly into Maya's warm brown eyes. "You did fine, Harry. Don't feel guilty."

Harry let out a shaking breath. Ken stepped up, next to her Apprentice. "Maya is right, Harry. If you must blame someone, blame your opponents. They were the ones who came looking for a fight, not you. If it is someone's fault, it is theirs."

Harry was silent, staring at the ground. Drawing a breath, he finally voiced what plagued him. "I almost... almost lost someone again. Someone I care about."

"But you didn't," Ken said, her voice strong. She lifted his head with one finger, making him look up at her. "Look at me, Harry. You didn't lose anyone. In fact, you protected them."

Harry closed his eyes. "She was hit but the Cruciatus. Over and over..." Harry's voice trailed off. "I can still hear her screams. At night."

Ken cocked her head. "Let me guess... the pretty blond with the silver eyes and the tenacious tendency to cover your back?"

Harry nodded. " Luna."

"She didn't seem to hold it against you," Maya added in. "In fact, it looked as if she would follow you to the ends of the world and beyond for what you did here."

Harry let out a dry snort. "Luna forgives everyone. That's who she is... not who I am."

Ken grabbed hold of his chin again. "You protected her, Harry. You stood between her and two cutting hexes, you covered her when she was down, and you defeated your opponent while doing so. You probably saved her life. Don't blame this on yourself. Blame this on those who attacked you..." she let go of his chin and balled her fist, "... and make them pay."

Harry just stared at her, the message slowly sinking home. Silently, he repeated the vow he had made while fighting for his life, and for the life of Luna. _Never again._

"Good," Ken said, smiling slightly at the sight of determination in his eyes. "Come, my young Apprentice. Let's find your staff, and have a light workout. Then we'll start going over your battle here, and see where we can improve."

Harry dipped his head. "Thank you, Sensei. Maya."

Maya just smiled at him, while Ken merely dipped her head. Harry closed his eyes, and reached out. "To me," he commanded.

Now that he was outside of the Hogwarts Wards, and the wards around the clearing were gone as well, the staff responded, just like it had while he was on the train over to Hogwarts. It ported right into his hand.

Feeling his hand close around the familiar firmness brought a smile to his lips. Giving it a couple of experimental swings before bringing it down, Harry opened his eyes and looked at his two Japanese companions, a smile on his lips.

"And now... let's get going," Ken said, choosing a direction and setting out a running pace. Maya and Harry shared a smile, and followed their teacher, their feet pounding the ground in the solid running rhythm, making robes flap and their arms pump.

An hour later, Harry pushed open the door of the enclosure Ken had set apart for her own and Maya's use. As he had expected, the inside was a lot larger than the outside, like a wizarding tent, and was completely furnished, including a kitchen, a bathroom, two bedrooms, and all kinds of comforts.

His hair was still damp from his recent shower, and Harry felt like a new man as he exited into the Common Room. His muscles ached in that good feeling of a good work-out, and a smile was on his lips. Just having Ken and Maya here made him feel better, and the talk they had shared that morning was even better.

"Harry! There you are, mate!" Ron bellowed from across the Common Room, where he was talking to Hermione, Ginny, and Neville. "We were worried about you! You weren't in bed this morning when I woke up."

By now, Harry had made his way over to them. "I was out," he said, his staff in his hand. "Retrieving my staff, and joining Sensei and Maya in a morning workout."

Hermione and Ginny shot him relieved smiles, while Neville and Ron grinned.

"Well, we're just glad you're all right," Hermione said. "And I'm glad you managed to get your staff back."

Harry smiled. "I didn't mean to worry all of you, but I _was_ with Ken-Sensei. I was safer than if I had been with Dumbledore," he answered honestly. "And as soon as I got outside of these wards, I was able to summon my staff quite easily. If only they hadn't put up an anti-apparition ward, I could have gotten it back during the battle." His mind drifted, recalling some of the things he had discussed with Ken and Maya. They would be getting into them more closely tonight. He could hardly wait.

Behind him, the door to the enclosure opened again, and Maya stepped out, no longer dressed in her blue outfit, but rather, in a more subdued black outfit that bore remarkable resemblance to...

"Sis?" Harry asked.

Maya broke out a wide smile, and twirled around. "Like it, Bro?"

Harry just closed his mouth, and shook his head. "Would you kindly tell me why you're dressed in a Gryffindor House Hogwarts student uniform?" he asked, keeping the smile out of his voice and off his face.

Maya grinned wider. "You wouldn't abandon me already, would you, Harry?" she asked in her best little-girl's voice. "I just got here, and I thought it was best to fit in."

Harry felt like gaping at her again, just as he was sure that his friends were staring at her. "You're going to _join_ us?" Harry asked, trying, and failing, not to sound surprised.

"You don't want me to?" Maya asked with a pout.

Harry gave up, and burst out laughing, soon joined by Maya. "Welcome aboard, Sis. I can hardly wait for classes to start. Today's Charms first class. I think you'll like Professor Flitwick."

"Harry," Hermione said.

Harry, finally finishing his snickering, wiped his eyes. "Yes, Hermione?"

"She's going to join us?" Ginny picked in.

"Yup, that's the plan," Harry said, still grinning. "It'll be great!" He motioned to Maya. "She's incredible. I can't wait to see how she'll do in our lessons." He looked at Maya, who beamed at him. "And I hope to finally find something I am better at than you."

Maya crowed with laughter. "Good luck, Bro! Except for that pure, raw power you've got going, nothing you do can beat me, and you know it!"

Harry grunted playfully. "That's what experience gets you..." he turned to his friends, and stage-whispered, making sure that Maya heard him, "Mind you, some people call it 'old age'."

He ducked the first hex that came his direction, jumped over the second, managed to deviate the third one into a wall, and blinked when four hexes came at him at the same time. He didn't have time to gulp, ducked out of the way of two, and felt a petrification and a hair-colour hex strike him.

Being petrified wasn't so bad, but knowing that his hair was now neon-purple and yellow polka dots sure added to the humiliation factor.

"We're the same age," Maya said, grinning widely as she stepped up to him, and cancelled the petrification.

"Hey, and the hair?" Harry demanded as his friends snickered. He mock-glared at them. "Gee, glad to know I have such good friends, who always have my back."

All four of them held up their hands. "We've seen her speed," Ron said. "Against Death Eaters, I'd have your back in a heartbeat. Against her? Not a frigging' chance!"

Maya smirked at him, meanwhile. "You figure out how to undo the Party-Hair Charm, Bro," she replied, smirking, and blowing kisses toward Ron and Neville, who blushed, and giving a thumbs-up to Ginny and Hermione, who smile conspiratorially.

"Party-Hair Charm?" Harry asked, having never heard of it. "How am I supposed to cancel some insane Japanese make-up spell if I don't even know it?"

"Come on, mate, you can gripe about it under way to breakfast. If this goes on, there won't be anything left," Ron said, making to drag Harry outside.

"I can't go out looking like this!" Harry said, still grinning, somewhat.

"Sure you can," Maya said, opening the portrait. "You walk through this hole, you see..."

"Very funny."

"I don't see you trying to cancel it," Maya said, grinning, exiting. Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Neville followed, and Harry, muttering to himself about treacherous friends and cruel sisters, closed the line.

As they walked into the Great Hall for breakfast, Harry had just about exhausted his arsenal of counter-spells, and he actively had to reinforce his Occlumency to block out the laughs and chuckles of the other students.

With the barest hint of a flush on his cheeks, he sat down at the Gryffindor table, the other people fanning out around him, starting their own breakfasts.

"You seem to be in a spot of trouble, Bro," Maya said, grinning, before biting into a kipper, sampling the unknown taste of the British dish.

Harry shot her a mock-glare, and swallowed the mouthful of scrambled eggs. "Well, the only other thing I can think of to cancel this, is Parseltongue. And I _know_ you don't speak Parseltongue."

Maya just chuckled, and was about to respond when Harry waved at someone, and motioned to whomever it was to come over. Five seconds later, a very airy-looking Luna Lovegood sat down at the table with them. A couple of Gryffindors shot the strange Ravenclaw a look, before shrugging and going back to their breakfasts.

"Good morning," she wished everybody, receiving a chorus of 'good morning's in return. She looked at Harry.

"That look does not suit you, Harry," she said, helping herself to some toast and a goblet of pumpkin juice.

"Maya hexed me, and I can't seem to get it off," Harry griped playfully, shooting a mock-glare at Maya.

For just a moment, it looked as if Luna actually looked angry, before her glassy-eyed stare was back. She waved her wand. Nothing happened. "I see," she replied, waving her wand and whispering a second incantation. His hair turned black once more. Conjuring a mirror, she showed him the results.

"Thanks, Luna! How did you do it?" Harry said, grinning widely at her. "None of my friends wanted to help." He glared at them. "Cowardly bastards they are."

"Oh, I couldn't cancel it, Harry," Luna replied airily. "But I put a second spell on it... turning it back to black."

Harry burst out laughing at the disappointed look on Maya's face. "I didn't think about that," she muttered. "It was supposed to last 24 hours."

Harry reached over, and clamped Luna's hand. "Thank you, Luna. You're a great friend," he said formally.

She smiled at him, and her eyes seemed to come to reality. "As are you, Harry," she replied, just as formally, before her glassy-eyed look was back and she turned to her breakfast with a spacey look on her face.

Maya was about to say something, when a beeping noise interrupted her. "Excuse me," she said, reaching into a pocket of her uniform, and pulling out a little square box. It was a square, about fifteen centimetres to one side, and about five centimetres high.

She flipped it open, and beamed a smile at the screen. Tapping a couple of keys on the bottom part of the flipped-open box, she looked at the inside of the lid, and started speaking.

Everyone stared at her.

"Harry?" Hermione asked.

"She's speaking to someone," Harry replied. "A friend of hers... Ayumi. And I'm trying really hard _not_ to listen in on private conversations," Harry added the last part with a grin in her direction.

"But..." Hermione started.

"I don't _know_, Hermione," Harry interjected, shooting her a smile. "We'll ask her after she's done."

Five minutes later, Maya flipped the device shut again. "Ayumi was just calling to see how I was doing..." she explained, her voice trailing off as the others stared at her.

"What was that device?" Hermione asked. "How does it work? Does it work anywhere? How did your friend speak to you..."

"Hermione, let her answer," Harry chided gently, shutting Hermione up quite deftly, and making her flush. Maya just grinned widely.

"This is an MC... a MagicCom," Maya said, putting the device on the table, flipping it open, and turning it so everyone could look at it. "It was built by Ayumi's Sensei, he's a Rune Master. It taps into the Dragon Veins, uses it for power, and for communications. It's still in development... only ten or so exist in the world. I got one, seeing how Ayumi is my best friend, and we like to keep in touch. The other ones are spread around the Japanese Community, linking the most important people together."

She tapped a key on the bottom panel, and the screen in the lid turned on. It asked something in Japanese. "It requires a code to work, just in case," Maya explained. "Anyway, it allows for instant voice-communications. And seeing how I'm on the other side of the world, or just about, I'm sure that it works anywhere, and is able to communicate with anyone, anywhere, as long as they are in range of the Dragon Veins."

"What are Dragon Veins?" Ron asked.

"Ley Lines," Harry supplied. "And seeing how we're built on top of a three Line intersection, I don't think that reception's an issue."

Maya grinned. "That's why I have seven lines," she replied, showing a small indicator in the top-right corner of the screen, showing seven small lines. "I never got more than one or two lines back home. Anyway, it also allows for text-based communications. For instance, if I wanted to ask Sensei where she was, I would do this." She flipped the device back, entered her code out of everyone's sight, and flipped it back. "I would tap in Sensei's name, like so." She typed the name, and the device went blank for a few seconds.

It answered her. "Sensei's MC is on-line, meaning that she has it turned on. I could try and call her, but you've already seen me do that," she said with a grin. "Anyway, I now press this button here, and it pops up a window where I can type text using the buttons on the bottom panel." She typed a couple of lines of text in a fairly quick pace. "I then send it, and Sensei's MC will receive it, and notify her of the new message."

"What did you just send her?" Hermione asked, intrigued by the device.

"I asked her if she wanted to join us for breakfast," Maya said, the next moment turning around as a beep sounded from the entrance of the Great Hall. They all turned and looked as Ken retrieved a similar device from her pocket, flipped it open, tapped a few keys, smiled slightly, and glanced at Maya.

She walked over, everybody trying not to stare at her limp. She slipped into an empty seat. "Does this answer your question, My Apprentice?" Ken asked as she grabbed herself some breakfast.

"Ayumi called me, Sensei, and I was just explaining the working of the MC to Harry and his friends," Maya replied, answering the question within the question. Ken dipped her head.

"But you still haven't explained, how do they work exactly?" Hermione asked.

Maya shared a look with Ken. "I don't know," Maya finally said. "All I know is that they draw power from the Dragon Veins, and that they use those same Dragon Veins for communication. Maybe Ayumi knows more... she is the Apprentice to the Rune Master, after all. How about I give her a call back, after breakfast, and see if she can answer your questions?"

"That'd be great!" Hermione exclaimed, clearly happy now that she was going to get some answers; the others merely grinned at the sight.

As breakfast wound to a close, Dumbledore stood up. "Before we go to our lessons, it has come to my attention that we seem to have a new student among us. A student who, for the moment, seems to be dressed as a Gryffindor."

Every eye in the room was locked on Maya, who merely grinned slightly, before breaking out in a flush. "Perhaps a Sorting is in order, to make it official?" Dumbledore went on, and Harry glanced at Ken, who was glaring at the Headmaster.

Maya stood up, and walked primly to the Head Table, bowing respectfully before the man. "Lord Dumbledore," she spoke in clear, precise tones, "nothing would honour me more than to be Sorted in the same House as the man who has become like a brother to me. However, the reason I am dressed as this is merely because I will remain close to him, for, if you recall, this school has not been the safest of environments for him. I merely wished to blend in. I am not a student here; I will not be taking tests nor exams. If it pleases you, Lord Dumbledore, I will allow myself to be Sorted – as long as this does not signify in any way a commitment on my part for anything beyond that which I have already stated."

A collective gasp went through the Great Hall then, the respectful eloquence with which Maya had addressed the Headmaster was beyond anything they had ever witnessed. It became clear, then and there, that this was no ordinary student, and that her schooling was vastly different from their own.

The Headmaster, for his part, merely smiled serenely at the girl, and dipped his head. "Of course not, Miss Maya. I merely wanted to preserve a thousand year of tradition, not to allow the uniform to anyone who had not gone through this rite of passage."

Maya dipped her head. "In that case, it would be my honour to be Sorted," she replied crisply.

"Excellent!" Dumbledore said, smiling broadly as he produced the Sorting Hat from somewhere upon his person; nobody really saw where it came from. "Now, if you would just face the Hall, and I will put the Sorting Hat on your head."

Maya bowed, then swept around and faced the Great Hall. She felt the Headmaster put the Hat on her head.

_Curious. Most curious,_ she heard a voice speak in her mind. Lifting one eyebrow, she thought back at it.

_Just Sort me with my Brother,_ she answered levelly.

_Hm... Harry Potter, your brother by Magic,_ it answered. _Putting you in Gryffindor... I think you'd fare better in Ravenclaw, my girl. Such a beautifully organised mind you have. _

_I came here for Harry,_ she thought back. _If you put me somewhere else, I can not protect him. _

_With such loyalty, perhaps Hufflepuff would be best, after all,_ the Hat mused silently. _I don't see the Gryffindor Courage._

_I came halfway around the world to help my brother!_

_Loyalty again, _the Hat answered cheekily.

_I am doing this for Headmaster Dumbledore. His station deserves respect, even though I do not like him personally. If you do not sort me in Gryffindor, I will don the robes of my own station... and merely demand my spot,_ Maya replied, coldly now. _As First Apprentice to Mahou mo Ken-Sama, the Headmaster _dare _not refuse my request to be present while my brother attends class._

_And there we have Slytherin,_ the Hat said, sounding like it enjoyed itself. _Let's see... Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin. Perhaps Hufflepuff really would be best. _

_Don't you _dareMaya answered coldly, her mind reaching for a couple of very nasty fire spells, which she was sure would do well against the cloth of the Sorting Hat. Magic or not, cloth burned.

_And _there, _finally, we have the Gryffindor courage. Courage to stand to your convictions, and fight for what you know is right. Very well, you will go to _GRYFFINDOR!

Maya smiled, turned around, gave the Hat to Dumbledore, walked to the Gryffindor table and sat down. "That ridiculous piece of antique magic wanted to put me in all other houses," the girl grunted as she sat down. "Claimed I had loyalty, but not courage." She glared at Harry. "When I threatened it, it claimed I finally showed courage and allowed me in."

"You _threatened_ the Sorting Hat?" Ron asked, flabbergasted.

"Of course; I will go in Gryffindor, or I will not go at all. I told it I could just as well take up my Japanese robes and merely demand they let me sit in on Harry's classes. Only after I started thinking Fire spells did it claim I had courage."

"Blimey, mate, she's scary," Ron said to Harry, glancing at Maya, who grinned devilishly in his direction. He shuddered. Harry just laughed.

"Never get on Maya's bad side," he commented, after his laughter started to subside.

"You should know, Bro," Maya said, still grinning devilishly. "If it hadn't been for Luna, you'd still have purple hair."

"With polka-dots," Ginny added, barely containing her laughter.

Harry glared playfully at her, then looked at Luna. silently, he mouthed 'thanks' in her direction. She dipped her head, her dreamy expression focussing on the wall once more. The conversation around him moved to the background as he wondered what exactly, Luna saw when her shields were at full tilt. He shook out of it when Hermione shook his shoulder.

"Sorry, I was thinking," he grunted as he got up with the rest of his friends... and family.

"Did it hurt, mate?" Ron quipped.

"Not really," Harry replied, still somewhat out of it. Thinking strange thoughts so early in the morning weren't really what he did best.

Hermione had resumed her questioning of Maya by now, and the Japanese girl sighed audibly. Grabbing her MC, she flipped it open, and tapped a few keys.

"Ayumi?" Maya finally asked in the device. "I've got a favour to ask."

"Oh?" the other girl replied in accented English, recognising Maya's use of the language.

"My brother has a friend here who won't leave me alone about the MC's. I was wondering if you could explain a few of the concepts to her. It's not as if they're a secret or anything."

"They're still in development," Ayumi replied with what was definitely a shrug in her voice. "But sure, I'll explain things to her. Is she any good with Runes?"

Hermione looked affronted. Maya smiled. "I think she is, Ayumi."

A sigh came through the device. "Only for you, Maya. If you hadn't helped me last time, I wouldn't do this for you, you know."

"Us Apprentices have to stick together," Maya replied. "After all, it's us against the Senseis."

"Ain't that the truth," Ayumi grunted in reply. "Fine, pass me on, I'll help the girl."

"Her name is Hermione," Maya said, holding the device out to Hermione. "Ayumi is the Apprentice to the Rune Master who created the MC. She can help you understand."

"Thanks, Maya," Hermione said, looking suitably grateful at the girl.

As Hermione started chatting with the girl on the other side of the world, the rest tuned out the conversation.

As Hermione chatted to the Japanese girl, the others made good time to the Charms classroom, their first lesson of the day. Feeling quite dejected about having to cut short her conversation with Ayumi, Hermione managed to elect the promise of a continuation of the conversation tomorrow, before breakfast, which would place it at about 4pm in Japan.

Everyone took their seats, Harry sending a sharp thought in Japanese to Maya as the students in Double Charms started to whisper behind their backs. Maya sent back an amused thought, and soon, both were doing their best not to burst out laughing.

"I thought that," Flitwick began, "seeing how we have an esteemed foreign student among us, maybe she would be able to give us a short demonstration on Japanese Charms."

As everyone stared at her, Maya bit back a groan. Harry shot her an encouraging smile. "You've done pretty well teaching me, _oneesan,_" he whispered to her.

Maya finally relented, shrugged, and stood up to make her way to the front of the classroom. "Hi, I'm Maya," she said. "But I'm sure you all know my name by now." The joke fell flat, and the girl turned to the blackboard. "Harry has explained your Charms to me," she said as she took a piece of chalk and started writing. "Japanese charms, as all Japanese magic, is based upon five elements; Earth, Water, Wind, Fire, and Void, or Heaven." Without thinking about it, she wrote the Kanji symbols on the board, the magical chalk taking on different colours as she wrote, brown, blue, white, red, and gold.

"All Japanese magic is based upon the balance of these elements. I'm not going to give you the full background, as it usually takes a couple of months before an Apprentice truly understands it." She shot a look at Harry. "Note that I said usually. There are always exceptions."

Harry grinned. Maya smirked, winked, and looked back at the rest of the class. "Anyway, in a nutshell, a Practitioner will focus on the magic within, and bend the four other elements into the desired shape. The results can be two-fold."

She held up her free hand, a Seal materializing in it. "The first application is known as Japanese Artillery Magic." She glanced at the Seal. "Faurink Maya, Plasmatizer, asks the Seal, what are you?"

The Seal's voice boomed through the Charms classroom, and a hushed silence befell the students. _I am a sparkle, a red sparkle! I am the one who destroys your enemies with blazing flame!_

A fireball leaped away from her fingers, and disintegrated against the classroom wall. "That was a pure application of Fire and Magic. But, as you can see, it can not be done non-verbally, and it takes a good while to cast. Hence the designation of Artillery Magic."

"Now, the second result is closer to what you would call Charms. But, once again, it is the underlying theory of the elements that guides the desired result, rather than spells or incantations. The Charms of second variety are all cast non-verbally. There are not even words associated with the spells, so you can not even cast them verbally should you chose to."

She brought her staff up with her right arm, and snapped it in Harry's direction. The Charm Luna had applied, the one to hide the purple hair colour, disintegrated, revealing once again, the Party-Hair Charm.

"As my brother can attest, they have all sorts of applications. In this case, a Party-Hair Charm," Maya explained. "That one is an intricate balance of Water and Wind... Water for it's adapting nature, Wind for its elusiveness." She motioned to the blackboard. "Each element has its own rules, its own nature, and each spell you can cast be categorized under one, or a combination of, these elements and their natures."

Everyone was staring at her, except for Harry, who was smirking slightly. "How about a demonstration?" Maya asked. "Harry-_oniisan_, how about you help me?"

Harry shot a look at Flitwick, who was nodding up and down enthusiastically, then stood up and calmly made his way to the front.

As he made his way to the front, he shot an inquiring look at Maya. She smiled back at him, and motioned for a spot right next to her. "I was thinking that we could give a little demonstration on the proper use of Seals, use of elements, and the other principals," Maya said after he took the indicated spot. Shrugging, Harry gripped his staff tighter.

"Fine by me, _Oneesan_. What do you have in mind?" he asked.

"Demonstration of Shield- and combat Seals?" she inquired. Harry shrugged.

"Fine by me," he answered levelly. "But I _will_ be shooting back."

Maya grinned. "I wouldn't have it any other way," she said, stepping back, Harry doing the same. When they had put some distance between them, Maya glanced at their audience. "This is a demonstration on the use of Seals, and other basic elemental manipulation... this isn't a realistic combat situation. Just a fair warning," she added with a small smile, and turned to look at Harry.

"Faurinck Maya, Plasmatizer, asks the Seal, what are you?" she snapped out her arm.

Harry's arm sped out, the familiar words rolling off his tongue. "Harry Potter, Plasmatizer, asks the Seal, what are you?"

_I am an electric shock! I am the one to bind my enemies with en electric light!_ The first Seal answered Maya, lightning streaming off the Seal, racing toward Harry.

Harry's eyes snapped closed as his own Seal answered. _I am ice and snow, white ice and snow! I am the one who becomes a veil of ice that freezes everything!_

Maya's eyes grew bigger as a white blast of ice reached out from Harry's Seal, freezing the floor, racing up the wall and blackboard, reaching for the speeding electric shock attack that was supposed to incapacitate him. As the two spell met, their magic combined, battling each other for supremacy, angry magical waves reaching for the floor and the ceiling, before finally dying out.

"An area-of-effect spell? Really, Bro, as if you wanted to freeze your classmates," Maya admonished.

"I didn't want to freeze _them,_ Sis," Harry answered with a cold smirk on his face.

Maya dipped her head, and looked at the class, who were stunned into silence at the sight of Harry's ice-field, now slowly melting. "As you can see, spells can be changed and adapted. Harry's area-of-effect spell, should have frozen everything in a circle around him, yet it did not, simply because he had sufficient control over his spell to change its effects."

She looked back. "Ready? This time, no interruptions."

Harry dipped his head, and snapped out his hand. "Harry Potter, Plasmatizer, asks the Seal, what are you?"

_I am a sparkle, a red sparkle, I am the one to destroy your enemy with blazing flames!_

Maya's hand reached out. "Shield!" A seal appeared, immediately filling with a Kanji symbol, shielding her from the fireball. Her other hand let go of her staff, and snapped out even while her shield was annihilating Harry's fireball. "Faurinck Maya, Plasmatizer, asks the seal, what are you?"

_I am a blade, a white blade! I am the one who dances like a mist and cuts the enemy up into pieces!_

Harry dodged the wind-blade strike that cut into the floor, and snapped both his hands forward. Six seals appeared in front of him, and Maya's eyes went huge. Harry closed his eyes, feeling the magic build within him. He still wasn't recovered completely... and six was the most he had ever done. He knew he could do three, he had done so in the battle of Hogsmeade... but six was double that, and he was still recovering.

"Harry Potter, Plasmatizer, asks the Seals... what are you?" he could feel the magic grip within him, reach for the elements and for the Seals.

_We are a flame, a bright red flame. We are the ones who shimmer like the hot air and burn the enemy into ashes!_

Maya looked like she saw a ghost, and gripped her staff, still standing, up on its tip, right next to her. "Shield," she whispered urgently, snapping a shield Seal into place just as the first fireball exploded from its Seal. Drawing her staff up, she drew an air-shield into existence, which stopped the second fireball. Her other hand was free now, and she snapped a new Shield Seal into place to stop fireball number three.

She could feel her power draining under the quick-casting of simultaneous shields, and once again, let go of her staff. This wasn't working...

"Forbid!" she snapped, both her hands drawing pentacles in mid-air, leaving ghostly white after-trails. When the pentacles completed, they seemed to become solid structures, stopping fireballs four and five. It bought her precious time, and she drew upon her reserves. Glaring at fireball number six, she snapped her hand at it, held rigid like a blade. "Break!" she ordered.

The fireball halved, warping around her, vanishing harmlessly against the wall behind her. "What was _that_?" Maya snapped.

Harry looked less than pleased as well. "You stopped all six!" he complained.

"Never mind me stopping six, how did you cast them simultaneously?" Maya snapped back. "That's impossible!"

Harry stared at her, stunned. "What? No, it's not... I've been doing it since forever... just draw multiple seals, instead of just one, and activate them in the same way you activate a single one. I just haven't figured out how to do multiple _different_ ones, but identical ones aren't an issue," Harry replied. "And you... what was that forbid thing, and that break thing?"

"Those are easy... manipulation of the Void element. Kinda like an air-shield, but with Heaven instead of Air. Only, magic doesn't react too well as a shield, so you need to determine _how_ your shield is going to work. Forbid basically form a solid magic wall, but drains incredibly quickly, plus you need time to draw the pentacle to shape the element. Break is easier, but more dangerous... you need to time it correctly, or you'll hit the spell instead of splitting it."

Harry nodded, focusing on his magic. Lifting his left hand, he drew a pentacle. Nothing happened. "That's a lot harder than it looks."

Maya shrugged. "I'm good at defences," she said. "It probably came natural to me." She stepped up to him, and both Harry and Maya forgot they had an audience. She came to a standstill next to him. "Watch as I power the spell," she said, slowly forming the pentacle, and with it, the Magic-shield.

"Do you see?" Maya asked.

Harry nodded. "I think so." He tried once more, but his shield disintegrated before it was fully formed. "Damn, I suck at this."

"That was good for a second try," Maya answered. "Sensei is better at this teaching thing than I am," she grunted. "How do I explain this better...?" She took two steps, turned around, and came up behind Harry. As she pressed against his back, her head on his right shoulder, she took his arm, and lifted it. "I will help you draw it," she said. "If you see it for yourself, experience it for yourself, you might be able to replicate it. Now, Harry, I will be channelling through your body, but try not to resist, OK?"

Harry just nodded as Maya lifted his arm with her own. Slowly, she started to draw in the air with Harry's hand, channelling her own magic to bend the fifth element. Harry's eyes went large as he felt her magic reach through him, the sheer beauty and softness of it stunning him to his core. He always felt that his own magic was like a violent river, a major force that had to be dominated and controlled.

Instead, Maya's magic felt soft, like velvet, like a gentle breeze in the heart of summer... and most definitely, incredibly powerful, as well. His entire body shook as she brought the shield to completion.

"Did you see?" Maya asked.

Harry nodded. His hand snapped out, drew a pentacle, and Maya smiled as she released him, looking at the fully formed Void-shield hanging in front of him. "Your magic, it felt incredible," Harry said.

"I felt yours pushing and straining," Maya answered, looking into his eyes. "You hold a lot of power."

"And your control is amazing," Harry replied, staring into her eyes as well. It felt almost as if he were falling forward, and both teens flashed back to when they had first connected on a magical level. The connection started to form, and once again, they felt the rush of power starting to reach through them, when sharp clapping brought them out of the trance.

Blinking a couple of time in rapid succession, both Harry and Maya stared at the class, where Professor Flitwick had started the round of applause. "An incredible demonstration of the abilities of our new student, as well as the rapid progress being made by Mr Potter," Flitwick said as he took his place at the front of the class. "Twenty points each to Gryffindor for that incredible demonstration, as well as ten points to Gryffindor for Miss Maya teaching Harry that incredible wandless shield."

Harry smiled a little self-consciously, while Maya just blushed as they retook their seats. Class was over in a couple of minutes anyway, so it didn't matter much. After Charms, Harry luckily had a break, a break he and Maya exploited eagerly to explore some more of each other's knowledge, preferring first to try and work things out among themselves before going to Ken, and asking for further explanations. There would be plenty of time for that tonight, after classes were over.

After the break, Transfiguration. This time it was Professor McGonagall who asked for a demonstration, she having heard of the incredible demonstration in Charms. This time, Harry could feel Maya's confusion as she stepped up to the front, this time cheered on by the Gryffindors.

_Transfiguration is basically a morph, right? The changing of the attributes, size, and shape of one object, morphing it into another? _Maya asked, explaining further when she felt Harry did not know the word. After he confirmed, she sent back another wave of confusion. _You actually have a class attributed to nothing _but _this?_

Harry shrugged through their link.

Maya stood at the front of the class, regarding them solemnly, but they all could see her eyes weren't really focused on them. Rather, they were focused inward, on her own thoughts, as if thinking very hard about something.

"I do not understand," Maya finally spoke, "why you would have a class dedicated to morphing objects. Transfiguration as you call it, is basically the changing of one object's attributes, size, and shape, into another. Am I correct?" she asked of Professor McGonagall. The stern woman, not used to being addressed in such a manner, nor the casual dismissal of her subject, nodded. She already had her mouth open to reply when Maya spun around, seemingly not seeing the professor getting ready to speak, and interrupted her.

"As I explained this morning in Charms class, Japanese magic is based upon the careful balance of the five base elements. Understanding of magic and its interaction with these elements is key. Once that balance is achieved within the Apprentice, he or she starts the next level. Basically, as magic is composed of these elements, so are objects around you." As she explained, she wrote on the blackboard, the chalk once again changing into the appropriate colours at her mental request.

"Once you understand the elements composing on object, manipulating said object is simple," she said as she wrote, they all realized that only the elements were Kanji, and the rest were merely English.

Beautifully written, calligraphy-style English. Finishing her last word by ending it with a straight horizontal line underneath her text, she spun around. "Knowledge of the elements and their balance is essential. Once that is achieved, one can morph – any object into any other object. Limitation on size is dependant upon one's magical reserves, the bigger the object, the more reserves are needed."

She lifted her right hand, free of her staff, which was still balanced at the point where she had planted it when she started writing, and held it flat before her. "The air around us is based heavily in the element of air, with slight Earth and Void influences. I know the air. _Morph_." She snapped, and a glowing golden ball of energy settled in her hand, shaping and moulding into a beautiful gold-and-crystal chalice.

McGonagall was speechless. Not only because of the casual dismissal of the need for a Transfiguration class, but also because of the casual ease with which Maya took the next step, actually demonstrating Summoning to a class that wasn't even in its final year! _Summoning,_ she bit off under her breath.

Maya smiled serenely. "As your teacher points out, this is sometimes called Summoning. However, it is merely the final stage in the knowledge of the base elements. Once knowledge is there, there are no limits. I hope I did not offend... I was merely surprised at the need for a class. To me, this is something I knew how to do since I was twelve... two years after starting to learn the elements. Of course, my reserves have grown substantially since then. I wouldn't have been able to morph a cup such as this out of air when I was twelve, for example." She smiled slightly. "However, as there is no further need for this... morph." The chalice vanished, back into the elements from which it was created.

"One should always respect the elements, and not change needlessly. It would not do to create a mountain of gold, for instance. Not only would it kill the economy, but it would also unbalance the elements, and unbalanced elements result in Chaos." She stepped forward, and her smile vanished. Suddenly, her eyes burned with an eerie intensity. "Know that I demonstrate my abilities before you of my own free will. However, I know some of you are smart enough to figure these things out for themselves, and duplicate them. If I ever find one of you... _any one of you_... needlessly unbalance the elements, I will personally make it my mission in life to terminate your miserable existence." She glared at the class before her, and even McGonagall swallowed slightly against the fear she felt bubbling up.

The smile returned suddenly, and the class breathed a sigh of relief. "That was the warning my teacher gave me when she explained morphing to me. I now passed it on to you." She chuckled slightly. "Did it work?"

Harry snorted, feeling oddly strengthened by seeing his sister in front of a class once again. "Yes, it did, Sis."

Maya locked eyes with him. "Good. I'd hate to waste a good threat," she said, chuckling. "Any questions? Seeing how I still have some time," she said, smiling once again at the class.

It was Hermione whose hand was first in the air. "Hermione?"

"How about living creatures?" she asked, glancing at McGonagall, and smiling. "Changing a hedgehog into a pincushion, for example?"

Maya drew a breath. "Yes, it is possible to change living creatures. However... why would one do so, unless under dire circumstances...?" her voice trailed off when she got a burst of memories from Harry. She closed her eyes, and cursed under her breath in Japanese. Harry gulped.

"You experimented upon defenceless creatures," she stated, flatly. Her right hand balled into a fist at her side, and her left curled instinctively around the handle of her sword. "What a horrible thing to do." She drew a breath. "Anything can be morphed, including the living, into anything else. However, to do so... it is disgusting, and barbaric." Shooting a glare at McGonagall, and not even waiting for a response, she flipped to the board, and wiped it with a single motion of her hand.

"_This is criminal," _she whispered under her breath in Japanese. Harry was about to answer her when she picked up the chalk and started writing. "To morph, one would need to balance the Void." She stopped speaking again. "I can not do this." She dropped the chalk into its holder. "The morphing of living creatures is indeed possible, but I refuse to explain how. My knowledge is theoretical, as yours should be. It saddens me that it is not."

"Miss Maya, that is enough," McGonagall said, striding to the front. "I will have you know that no creatures were harmed during this class, and were always restored to their original forms."

"At least that is something," Maya replied levelly. "However, that fact remains that it was done. Although not illegal in Japan, it is a disgusting practice."

"That's enough, Miss Maya," McGonagall snapped. "I assure you, no creatures were harmed."

Maya looked the teacher up and down. "Then perhaps, you would not mind a little demonstration, Professor McGonagall?" she replied on an icy tone. The class held their collective breaths. Nobody spoke to McGonagall like that!

The woman stiffened, then dipped her head in a sharp nod. "If it assures you that nothing was harmed, be my guest."

Maya's eyes flashed. "_Morph!_" she barked. McGonagall let out a startled gasp as her entire body glowed gold and changed. Five seconds later, where a Professor had been, there was now a pincushion.

"I am well aware that you are still conscious," Maya spoke. "However, you are now frozen within that shape. Being sentient, you can control your fear. Imagine being a defenceless create, like the hedgehog in Hermione's example." Her hand balled again. She flipped around. "Is there anyone who would like to try and restore your teacher? I assure you, she does not mind. After all, this is what she did to those creatures."

Nobody was brave enough to try. _Cowards,_ she snapped angrily in her mind.

_We are all scared to bits of McGonagall,_ Harry answered her thought.

_You are all cowards,_ Maya snapped back. She glared at the pincushion. "Morph." One Professor took the place of the pincushion.

"Very well, Miss Maya, point taken," McGonagall replied. "But I would appreciate you not trying to get my students to experiment on me in the future," she snipped.

Maya dipped her head in a half-bow. "I hope so, as well, Professor."

McGonagall had a small smile tugging at her lips, understanding the message perfectly. "I will speak with the people responsible for creation of the curriculum, and try and change the animal transfiguration. It is indeed an unpleasant experience. However, some exceptions will have to be made... for instance, if one were to become an animagus."

"An animagus?" Maya asked.

"It is a person capable of changing into an animal. Like this," McGonagall explained, changing into her animagus form, like a tabby cat. Five seconds later, she shifted back.

"Interesting ability, it must be ideal to change into a fly for scouting missions, or to be able to change into an animal that is native to the area one is scouting... or the use of smell of a dog, for instance," Maya said, smiling broadly, glad to be away from the touchy subject of animal experimentation.

"Unfortunately, one can change only into one animal," McGonagall answered deftly. "And not everyone has the ability to do so."

Maya frowned. "That's unfortunate. I wonder why..." She scribbled a bit on the blackboard. "The elements should permit it... after all, they allow for a person to shift into one animal. I wonder why not more." She scribbled some more, ignoring the fact that everyone was staring at her as she wrote in Japanese on the blackboard.

"I still do not see it. Perhaps this is why I am still only an Apprentice," Maya said, somewhat sadly. She closed her eyes. "Morph," she whispered. Her own body started to glow gold, actually starting to change shape, before the spell ended and threw her back into Human shape. She scribbled some more. "I can see why this is a difficult spell... as one loses one's Humanity, one's connection to the magic changes, and one has difficulty holding the spell in place, letting it complete." She held out her hand, and one of Harry's pieces of parchment and one of his quills flew at her. She scribbled her notations onto the parchment, cursing at the fact that the quill had only a limited amount of ink on it.

Banishing the quill back to Harry, she grabbed a ballpoint pen out of thin air, scribbled the parchment half-full, and released the pen back into the air. She then turned around, and saw everyone gaping at her. Everyone, except for Harry, who was smirking at her.

"Sorry about that," she said. "I... eh... sometimes forget where I am when I am learning new things. Sensei says I 'Geek Out'."

"Don't worry about it, Sis," Harry answered for the class. "We've all seen Hermione do the same thing on occasion."

Hermione flushed crimson, and ducked behind her Transfiguration book when the class started laughing. Laughing as well, Maya returned to the seat right next to Harry... but not before bowing to McGonagall, and whispering that no offence was intended. The stern Transfiguration teacher replied that none was taken... at least, none was taken after that demonstration Maya had put her through. And if Maya needed more info on animagi, she would be available to answer her questions. Maya smiled, and thanked her, before taking her seat.

After lunch, They had Care of Magical Creatures, and for once, Maya had nothing to contribute, knowing next to nothing about the Magical Creatures found in Great Britain... but to Harry's amusement, and everyone else's horror, she did strike it off immediately with Hagrid – she, too, enjoyed the dangerous creatures he brought to class. Hagrid's happiness at her eagerness couldn't be bigger.

After Care of Magical Creatures came Herbology, and once again, Maya was the most attentive pupil. Her schooling in Herbology was truly limited, and she found the new subject invigorating. It was only after dinner, that the fun really began... as that was when Ken would train them.

00000

Harry was panting deeply, leaning on his staff for support, trying to catch his breath. They were presently outside, in front of the Great Lake, almost all of Gryffindor House, half of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw houses, and even a few Slytherins scattered around to stare at him going at it with his Japanese teacher.

"You are getting faster, Harry," Ken said, sounding reasonably impressed. "However, the strength of your spells is still lacking. As is your magic control, seeing how you keep leaking inordinate amounts of magic into the air." She sniffed theatrically, even though the open air had long since dissipated his leftover magic.

"What are you doing wrong?" she asked, walking up to him, so she was only a step away.

Harry frowned in confusion. "I don't understand, Sensei. I am casting the spells... faster and faster... but I can't seem to put power into them."

Ken nodded. "Regardless of how much you focus, your spells remain, more or less, at the same power level. It's good... a weak spell is better than no spell at all... but it won't do if you need to shatter stronger shields, as we just demonstrated, I believe."

Harry dipped his head. "I intend to break through your shield, just as you taught me. But I can't. I don't understand. I know I have the power for it."

Ken smiled slightly. "That's an understatement. And true, Harry, intent is the result you aim for. However, there is a second key to power. Determination. How determined are you to achieve your intention?"

Harry frowned once more in confusion, now standing up straight after catching his breath. "I want to break down your shields," he replied.

Ken dipped her head, then slowly turned around, and started, slowly, walking away. "What do you think when you attack my shields?" she asked, stopping about a dozen paces away, her back still to him.

"I want to break your shields," Harry replied.

"Do you want to hurt me?" she then asked.

"Of course not!" Harry shouted in return, sounding offended.

"And in there, lies the crux of the problem," Ken answered him, turning around and pinning him with a look. "What do you think when you defend someone?" She glanced at Luna. "What did you think when you were defending Luna, for instance?"

"I didn't want her to get hurt," Harry replied, unsure of where this was going.

Ken just dipped her head. "And what do you think when you defend yourself?"

"I don't want to get hurt," he answered, once again unsure of where this was going."

"Passive," Ken replied, levelly. "You think passively, Harry. How can you ever achieve power if you measure yourself against passive voice?" She lifted her staff. "When you attack someone... _I will __**kill**_ _them! _When you defend someone... _I will __**not**_ _let them get hurt!_ When you defend yourself... _I will __**not**_ _get hurt!_" Harry and the surrounding students _felt_ power building within her.

Harry flung his staff up. He closed his eyes. _This is where I destroyed that Death Eater. I wanted to kill him for what he did to Luna. I would not let her get hurt, and I did not, after that..._ He opened his eyes. _I __**will**_ _destroy her shields!_ "KUZURYUSEN!"

His magic control still was atrocious, and it showed, as his leaking magic tore at the ground around him, sweeping dirt and sand up in its mad rush toward her. Her shield crackled with energy, before being hit with the nine simultaneous attacks, and shattering, actually pushing her two steps back.

"Good. I see you finally have found your determination," Ken said, smiling slightly. "Remember, active, not passive. Determination fuels your intent, without it, there is no power behind your result."

Harry drew a couple of deep breaths. He hadn't recuperated fully yet, and after casting those six simultaneous Seals earlier, he was still pretty drained. "We'll stop here for tonight," Ken said, walking up to him and handing him a small vial. "Drink this, it will help you recuperate faster."

"Thank you, Sensei," he said, gulping down the potion, and finding it tasting of mint. "That's actually the first good-tasting potion I've ever had."

Ken smiled slightly. "I'll let our Potions Master know his work passed your muster, Harry," she said mischievously. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come, let's go back to your Common Room. From Maya's excitement, I take it that she has something important to ask of me."

Harry shot a grin at his magic sister, who was pouting slightly, thinking that she contained herself adequately. "I know you too well not to notice by now, my Apprentice," Ken then spoke to Maya, without even looking at her. Maya broke out in a grin, and shook her head as Ken walked back to the castle, her and Harry right behind. The other students, disappointed that the show was over, broke up and started walking back as well.

**End of Chapter**

Author's Note: Yes, I decided to end things here... next chapter, multi-casting Seals, the Ley Lines make a reappearance, Animagus Transformation, and why is Hermione hanging on the MC with Ayumi so much?


	9. Explanations and Evolutions

**Mahou** **mo Ken**

All rights to Harry Potter and its world, characters, and settings belong to JK Rowling. I don't own any of its characters, and I am not making any money off this.

Author's note – as I am unable to find a schedule for Year Six of the Harry Potter books, I made use of the daily course schedule of book five, found at the HP Lexicon. Thanks, guys!

**Chapter nine – Explanations and Evolutions**

Harry walked into the Great Hall, his Gryffindor friends all around him. He smiled slightly when he spotted Maya, and sat himself down right next to her, making Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Ginny scramble for the free seats near them.

He glanced at the notebook in front of his Magic Sister, and the countless equations she was rapidly filling the pages with.

"Hey, Sis," he finally said, leaning to look theatrically over her shoulder. "Whatcha doin'?"

She glanced at him. "Writing," she replied.

He nodded. "I thought so," he said, turning to grab himself some breakfast. Maya nodded, as if she saying 'you're welcome', and turned back to her work.

When his plate was filled, he looked up at a frustrated huff.

"Whatcha writin'?" he asked.

"I don't get it," she replied. "The theory is sound. The Elemental Equations match. Why doesn't it work?"

"Still working on the Animagus Transformation?"

She huffed.

Harry shrugged. "Sorry, can't help you there, Sis." He frowned in thought for a few seconds. "Maybe you're looking at this from the wrong angle. The Animagus Transformation is a Western piece of magic, and you're looking at it from an oriental mindset."

Maya nodded thoughtfully at the notes. "Maybe. But the same laws of magic should still apply!"

"Maybe," Harry allowed. "But still, I can't cast a western spell using oriental methods."

Maya crossed her arms, and stared at her empty plate. "Maybe I am," she allowed. "All right, overview. I am balancing the Void as well as the Air, in order to achieve an animal transfiguration on myself. I know this theory is sound, as I can use it to Transfigure someone _else_ into an animal."

Harry nodded. "True. However, that is Transfiguration, not Animagus Transformation. One is a Transfiguration, basically, the changing of shape and size of one object into another. The other is a _Transformation_, a complete change of mind and body."

Maya stared at her brother for a few seconds. "I hadn't thought of it that way. Transfiguration of the Self is rather difficult, isn't it?"

Harry grinned.

"Will you two _stop_ that!" Hermione said forcefully.

"Stop what?" Harry asked.

"Jabbering in Japanese like that!"

Harry looked sheepish. "Sorry. I guess it just comes naturally." He looked at Maya. "Also, Animagus Transformation is supposed to be to one animal, the one that is closest to you in mind and spirit. What animal were you trying to transform into?"

Hermione blustered as Harry picked right up in the middle of his conversation.

Maya frowned slightly. "I was going for a tiger, actually."

Harry looked thoughtful for a few moments. "I think the first thing we need to figure out is how to find the animal that is supposed to be your Animagus form, then figure out how to do the transformation. I know that my father and his friends figured it out by themselves, so it should be possible."

"True," Maya said, before muttering a 'finally' when the food appeared. "It still irks me that I could have overlooked the difference between Transfiguration and Transformation. And I still don't get why it can only do a single animal."

"Probably just because it is supposed to be the animal that is closest to you in mind and spirit. There can be only one of those, after all," Harry replied after starting to finally eat the food on his plate.

Maya glanced at Ken, seated at the Head Table for once. "Maybe Sensei can help."

"Maybe not," Harry said with a grin. "How about we do this as an extra-curricular exercise?"

Maya was silent for a few moments, before a wicked look entered her classic Asian features. "Great idea, Bro. I knew there was a reason why I kept you around."

"You needed someone to use as a punching bag?" Harry suggested helpfully, right as she was taking a drink from her goblet of pumpkin juice. The result was that she started hacking and coughing as the fluid went down her windpipe.

Finally having cleared the blockage, she turned to look at Harry. "Not to mention your wonderful personality."

He grinned. "Thanks, Sis."

She shot a grin back. "And maybe you can help me multi-cast Seals, too."

He shrugged. "Sure. As long as you help me with my control. I'm tired of leaking so much. Sure, it makes me look impressive, but the hit on my reserves is atrocious."

She didn't reply verbally, merely sending her confirmation through their mental link. As breakfast progressed around them, Harry found himself looking up at the Head Table, seeing Ken involved in a discussion with McGonagall, probably about the subject of Maya's tantrum yesterday during Transfiguration class.

_It was NOT a tantrum!_

_Yes, it was, Sis,_ Harry shot back with a grin as he looked at the other teachers. His eyes rested on Dumbledore's blackened hand, and the sight triggered a latent memory, a memory of a promise he had forgotten up until now.

_Harry, don't,_ Maya thought into his mind, recognizing what he was thinking about.

_I promised, Sis,_ he returned. _Besides, if I can help him, I might be able to get some better treatment at his hands. It's better if he cooperates, rather than try and fight every step of the way._

_That's true,_ Maya was forced to admit. _But that doesn't mean I have to like it. And I can tell you right now that Sensei will do whatever she can to stop you._

Harry grumbled, yet stood up anyway. Calmly, he walked to the Head Table, and stopped in front of the Headmaster. "Sir, when would be a good time for me to attempt to keep the promise I have made you a while back?"

Dumbledore glanced at his blackened hand, and immediately recognized what Harry was talking about. "If I remember correctly, you have Divination first, followed by a break."

Harry nodded. "That's correct, Sir."

"How about you join me in my office during your break, Harry?" the elderly Headmaster suggested.

Harry nodded. "That'll be fine, Sir."

00000

"I can not believe you have such a useless class," Maya complained in straight Japanese as the small group walked to Dumbledore's office. Ron just stared back and forth between Harry and Maya as they jabbered back and forth in the language, seemingly not paying any attention at all to him.

Harry produced the password and the trio was walking up the stairs when an out-of-breath Hermione joined them, having run all the way from Arithmancy to catch up to them.

"It may be useless," Harry replied to Maya, "but it's also a nice diversion, and it's a very laid-back course. Good for catching up on some laughs and such."

"You're doing that _again_!?" Hermione complained.

"Sorry," Harry said, lifting his hand to knock on the door. Dumbledore's voice told them to enter before it made contact.

"You may be able to relax, but it serves you no purpose," Maya retorted in English. "You need combat skills, not useless gimmicks. It's no wonder you're so far behind, if you are taking a bunch of courses that have nothing whatsoever to do with applied or combat magics."

Hermione started to go red, but before she could say something, Maya stopped and turned to Harry. "I am the first to admit my own training is skewed. I excel in what you call Charms and Transfiguration. I know some very basic potion-making skills, and have a _very_ rudimentary knowledge of Runes. But why would someone in your position be required to take," she started ticking off fingers, "Potions, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, and Astronomy?"

"Just because you don't know them doesn't make them useless!" Hermione almost-shouted, somewhat more subdued then her usual full-shout, seeing as they were having this argument in the Headmaster's office.

"If you had listened," Maya said contemptuously, staring at Hermione, "I was referring to Harry, and the position he was in. I did not call the subjects useless. I called them superfluous for Harry's well-being. What he needed was a person like Sensei, who could have trained him as I have been trained." She turned, not even waiting for Hermione to say anything, and nodded respectfully to the Headmaster. "My apologies, Headmaster."

"No apologies needed," the Headmaster waved her off. "It is a Japanese viewpoint you defend, one that, unfortunately, can not be defended in Britain, seeing as the Ministry has determined that a minimum diversion of courses is required for a balanced education."

Harry sat down next to Maya, yet looked a little apprehensive at her. "Then your Ministry should have made an exception in Harry's case. The prophecy was activated in 1981, it should have taken precedence to train Harry from that point on."

"Maya..." Harry muttered.

"Oh, fine!" she snapped at him. "I'll refrain of lecturing the ones who have wronged you so."

Harry winced, and glanced apologetically at his Headmaster, even if he inwardly agreed with Maya. The old man seemed more amused than offended. "Although it is true that I have made mistakes, I truly did what I thought was for the best, and hoped to give you a trouble-free childhood, away from the pressures of fame."

"And instead you destroyed my childhood by placing me with people who locked me in a cupboard," Harry said carefully, not wanting to show just how much anger he had been holding in.

The Headmaster sighed. "I truly did not know."

"Did you even _check_?" Maya demanded.

"Maya..." Harry begged.

Maya huffed, and crossed her arms.

"Headmaster? Can we do this?" Harry asked, standing up. The old man nodded, and placed his blackened hand on clear display on the desk.

Harry drew a breath and materialized a seal. He was about to attach it to Dumbledore's hand before cutting himself and getting the blood required, when the door to the office opened on its own, and Ken angrily strode in, towering above Harry with a burning look in her gaze.

"Just what," she demanded, "do you think you are doing?"

Harry glanced at the blackened hand of his bemused-looking Headmaster, then at the blank seal in between his fingers, then back up at Ken. "I'm trying to help my Headmaster, Sensei," he replied, somehow sensing that a sarcastic reply would not do him any favours, especially as angry as she looked.

"Did you invent any new Healing Seals I am unaware of?" she asked, her voice calm, but her presence still towering above the desk and the people seated at it. Through the link, he could feel the anxiousness of Maya. Had he looked, he would have seen that Ron and Hermione both had drawn pale. In fact, even the bemused look had vanished off of Dumbledore's face, to be replaced by a polite look that had been borne out of political experience.

"No, Sensei," he replied.

"Do you, perhaps, hold a medical degree in Seal Magic you have hidden from me?"

Harry swallowed. He did not like the look of this. "No, Sensei."

"Then perhaps you can explain to me why you think you might be able to help your Headmaster when the rest of the medical minds in Great Britain have failed to do so?" she asked, still on that same level tone.

Harry swallowed. How his teacher had found out, he didn't know. Nor was it a particular concern right about now. "Sensei, I, you know, I thought, you see..."

"Just say it, Harry," she interrupted, placing one hand on the desk in front of him and leaning over. "Explain your reasoning and your current course of action."

He shrunk back, her anger almost palpable. Knowing the depth of her control over her magic, he knew just how angry she would have to be in order for even this much to escape her grasp. He closed his eyes, and grit his teeth. Better to get things over with. "I was going to use the same Seal that has brought you back from the brink of death, Sensei. My reasoning was that, if it did no good, then it did no harm."

"Not to your Headmaster," she replied, confirming to Harry that she most definitely knew what this was about, and what his plans had been.

"Harry, what exactly was your plan?" Dumbledore asked, retrieving his blackened hand.

"It is called a Blood Seal," Ken replied. "It is habitually used in the construction of undead. However, in a pinch, it can also be used to bring people back from the brink of death. However, as this is not the usual purpose of said Seals, it has a severe impact on the magic of the caster."

"I see," Dumbledore said, turning to look at Harry. "I do not believe that it would be wise to use this spell-"

"It will work, Headmaster," Harry said. "I have seen it repair a lot more damage." He looked up at Ken. "And I was injured at the time."

"So you _have_ left the safety of your relatives' house," Dumbledore said, sighing sadly.

"Sensei was injured," Harry doggedly replied. "I helped her. Like I can help you."

"And it nearly killed you last time," Ken said. "I have forbidden you from using this spell."

Harry licked his lips, and looked up at her. "On you, Sensei."

Ken seemed to startle, blinked twice, then shook her head. "And still you remain the bravest and most foolish man I have ever met. I should wash my hands of you."

Ice-cold settled in his stomach, and Harry was well aware that he was going faint in his head. He stared at the seal, stuck in between his trembling fingers. "S-Sensei... I..."

"However, I will not," she said when it was obvious that Harry wasn't going to say anything else. The sigh of relief coming from his lips was extremely loud. "I am well aware that this time, you are unhurt, and at peak physical and magical condition. I am also aware that the damage done to the Headmaster is not as extensive as mine was. However, I believe the choice has been taken out of our hands, and as it seems that the Headmaster will not allow you to continue with your spell."

Dumbledore merely nodded his agreement to that statement. Harry looked at him. "We had a deal, Headmaster. You would protect Daphne and Tracey, I would attempt this spell."

"Although that is correct, Harry, that was before it was brought to my attention that you would be employing the Dark Arts in order to do so."

"It is not a Dark Arts spell when used to heal people, just like an Avada Kedavra is not an Unforgivable when used to hunt for food," Harry replied.

"Although technically true, Harry, I still do not think I would be comfortable with the situation," Dumbledore replied. "Regardless, I shall continue to endeavour to protect Miss Greengrass and Miss Davies."

Harry just sat there, not having a comeback from that. Finally, he sighed. "Sir, imagine how I will feel. Every time I see that hand, I will be reminded of my failure – indeed, my very own inability to even try and help you. At least let me try. If it doesn't work, nothing has changed but at least I will know I have tried."

"And if it does work, Harry?" Dumbledore asked. "How will I be able to enjoy this hand, knowing that you have invoked the dark arts in order to bring it back to me?"

"Not Dark Arts, Headmaster," Harry said. "_Blood_ arts. They are being used for healing purposes, after all."

Dumbledore sighed. "I believe we have discussed this point already, Harry."

Harry smiled slightly suddenly. "And I shall remain at your side until you allow me to cast the spell."

The ageing Headmaster looked over his half-moon spectacles at Harry, and shook his head ruefully. "And I do believe you would carry out your threat, too."

"Of course, Headmaster. I would not have made it otherwise," Harry said with a small grin. The Headmaster looked at Ken.

"You have a dangerous apprentice there, Ken-sama, and you seem to have worked wonders on him."

"Thank you, Lord Dumbledore. Although a lot of the progress can be attributed to my first apprentice as well," Ken replied solemnly as Dumbledore extended his blackened hand. She sounded distinctly unhappy, and Harry wondered for just a moment whether or not it would be better to call this whole thing off.

He finally affixed the blank seal, and slipped his sword five centimetres from its scabbard, lightly running his thumb over it to draw blood. Smearing the blood on the Seal, he incanted.

"Even as blood is of the element Water," he whispered, bringing his hands together, closing his eyes, and letting his magic shape before his mind's eye. "I must now summon the blood as a bond, beyond the meaning of liquid, but as the meaning of Life."

When Harry's eyes opened, they were glowing white, and Ken and Maya, closest to him, put distance between themselves and Harry. "Harry Potter, Plasmatizer, asks the Blood Seal! What are you!?"

Magic flashed up. _I am reanimation and rejuvenation! I bring life to what once was dead!_

Harry could feel his spell biting into Dumbledore's hand, working its wonderful brand of rejuvenation and reanimation magic. His eyes squinted closed soon after when he could feel the Blood Seal encounter a resistance that was more fierce than when he had tried to heal Ken's injuries, and he grunted when he could feel his core being squeezed for all it was worth.

Unable to overcome the magic inherent in Dumbledore's decaying hand, Harry could feel the Blood Seal change its tactics, and seek out the edge of the decay. Finding it, and the subsequent boundary where Dumbledore's magic was fighting the decay, Harry got his second surprise. Something _else_ was fighting the magic as well.

There was no time to pounder the situation, as the Blood Seal went to drastic steps to complete the order given to it by Harry. He vaguely heard a muffled scream from Dumbledore penetrate the black-out that was his determined focus when the magic in the Black Arts destroyed Dumbledore's hand, withering magic and all, only to rebuild it – fresh and clean, taking its form and function straight from Dumbledore's own DNA.

The spell completed, and Harry let out his breath. The world twirled and danced around him as he opened his eyes, and he sunk into his chair, gasping for breath and wiping sweat off his face.

"That was no mere withering curse," Harry accused. "The Blood Seal had to rip that hand off and build a new one."

Dumbledore didn't seem to hear him, staring instead at his hand, which opened and closed experimentally. The hand looked brand-new. In fact, it looked as if it wasn't over 150 years old, the skin unmarked and unwrinkled.

"Remarkable," the Headmaster stated. "Truly remarkable."

"As it seems the spell was successful, and that you did not suffer any ill effects from your use of the Black Arts, Harry, I will take my leave now," Ken said, turning around and walking out of the office without waiting for his reply.

"Sensei," Harry said after her, but she ignored him and strode out of the office. Maya merely gave him a dirty look, and followed their teacher. "_Oneesan?_" he asked, but she, too, ignored him. "Senpai!?"

She stopped, and threw him a dirty look over her shoulder. "Once again, you used the Black Arts," she told him, coldly. "And once again you managed not to get bit. You are playing a dangerous game, Harry James Potter." Saying nothing else, she threw the door of the office closed behind her, not bothering to wait for a reply.

Harry's face twisted through the entire range of emotional motion, before he glared at Dumbledore. "I hope you enjoy your new hand, Sir. But remember, I paid for it, in blood and magic, and it may have just cost me my only teacher and sister." He stood up, a little unsteadily, and he was grateful that his friends, who had remained quiet throughout the entire ordeal, were there to help him. Leaning slightly on Ron's shoulder, and grateful for Hermione's close presence reminding him that he had not been completely abandoned, he walked out of the office as well.

"My dear boy," Dumbledore muttered after the trio had gone. "There is always a price to pay for the use of the Dark Arts, and I hope that the price demanded of you will not be too high." He looked at his hand. "But still, this is a remarkable feat."

00000

Harry was practically asleep by the time Transfiguration ended and he could get some lunch. Much to his dismay, Maya had sat down on the other side of the classroom, and had refused to even look at him during the entire lesson. He had tried to contact her using their link, and found her side of it firmly barred with impenetrable shields.

Lunch was even worse, with both Ken and Maya sitting on the far end of the Gryffindor table, obviously in a deep, if whispered, conversation. A single glance from both of them had told Harry was not welcome to join them. Sighing, he sat down among his friends, and tried to carry on as normal... which failed abysmally when he just shoved food down his throat in a mechanical fashion, even failing to realize the conversation everyone else was having.

He managed to recuperate some of his energy during Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures before dinner rolled around, which was a repeat of lunch.

After dinner, Harry retreated to the Common Room, where he tried to speak with Maya one last time, before going up to his dorm, grabbing his invisibility cloak, and walking out the portrait hole.

Or trying to, at least.

"You all right, mate?" Ron asked when he noticed Harry making his way to the exit.

"I'll be fine," Harry replied, trying to catch Maya's eye, but failed dismally, the Japanese girl still in deep conversation with Ken. Part of him wondered what they were discussing, and how bad it would be for him. "I'm going for a walk."

Ron nodded, and opened his mouth to ask whether Harry would like some company, then seemed to reconsider. "Can't say I blame you, mate," he said. "If you need anything you know we're here for you, right?"

Harry smiled slightly, and glanced around the Common Room, noticing how Hermione, Ginny, and Neville were watching him. Giving them a small smile and a nod, he turned back to Ron. "Thanks, mate. That means a lot. I just... need some time alone, I guess." As Ron nodded, Harry turned, and walked out, throwing the invisibility cloak over himself as he did so. He really wanted to be alone.

Looking at each other, Harry's four friends stuck their head together.

"All right, so who's going to talk to them?" Hermione asked.

"I say, let Gin do it," Ron suggested.

"Oh?" Ginny asked, raising an eyebrow. "Any particular reason why you'd send your kid sister off to go talk to the two most dangerous people to come to Hogwarts since V-Voldemort himself?" she hesitated slightly on the name, having to gather her resolve to do so. Years of ingrained upbringing was difficult to throw off, but a certain dark-haired green-eyed example was changing all of that.

Ron shrugged. "I've seen you when you get going, Gin. You're the only one besides Mom who could scare Fred and George, so I don't think a couple of Japanese witches are going to be much of a challenge for you... especially as they're totally unprepared to you."

The red-haired witch glowered at her brother.

"Motion seconded," Hermione said, raising his hand.

Before Ginny could turn on the other girl, Neville raised his hand. "Thirded."

"Motion carries," Ron said hurriedly. "Thanks, Gin."

Planting her fists in her sides, the tiny redhead glared at all of them. "Fine." She stomped off.

"I am feeling guilty now," Ron said, watching his angry sister storm off.

"Really?" Neville asked.

"And it's gone," Ron replied.

"I thought so," Neville said, grinning slightly.

"Are you sure she'll be all right?" Hermione asked, looking at Ginny, stalking to the two Japanese women, seated in front of the little shelter, discussing who-knew-what. She hated the fact they were jabbering in Japanese again. She really had to try and figure out a way to learn the language.

"She'll be fine," Ron said with conviction, drawing her attention to his right hand, which was holding his wand. To her surprise, Neville, too, was holding his wand.

"I doubt we have much of a chance," he added. "But Harry's taught us to stick together."

Hermione nodded, and surreptitiously drew her wand. "True. He'd do the same for us."

Ginny had made her way over to the two women by now.

"Just what," she demanded from behind Ken, "do you think you are doing?"

In the nearby couches, the two Creevey brothers threw one look at her, recognized the look and the tone and stood up, backing away slowly.

"We were having a conversation," Maya replied, deadpan, while Ken half-turned to look at the angry witch.

"And would this discussion have anything to do with Harry?" Ginny asked.

"Not everything revolves around Harry," Ken replied, coldly. "And I would appreciate a different tone of voice."

"And I would appreciate for you two to stop treating Harry the way you have been," Ginny replied, refusing to be intimidated. "But we can't all have what we want, can we?"

"Oh?" Ken asked, her tone softening, and Maya threw a look at her Sensei's face, before looking at Ginny, and shaking her head, as if trying to stop the girl from continuing. Ken went on, "And how is it a business of yours how I treat my Apprentice?"

"He is a friend of mine," Ginny replied, levelly, even though she had to admit this woman before her was doing a pretty-bang up job of intimidating her. "And I have made it my business. Harry's saved my life, he's protected all of us, he has always tried to help us and protect us. I don't think I can do anything less for him. Now, you still have not replied to my first question. Just what do you think you are doing!?" she glared at Maya. "And being cheeky does not count as an answer."

"I will thank you for taking a more civil tone of voice, young lady," Ken snapped, and Ginny actually backed up one step. The next moment, the totally cold infliction had vanished from Ken's voice. "Today, Harry made a very foolish decision, one that may, in the future, cost him more than some magic. He must be prepared to face the consequences of his decisions. The Dark Arts are not to be trifled with, and it must be brought home to him that he must not use them lightly."

Ginny drew her wand, and _accio-_ed a chair. Sitting down, she stared Ken straight in the eyes, trying her best to hide the fear and intimidation she felt from this woman. "I have never seen Harry as happy and as focused as he has been since he met you. And today, he looked as if someone had killed his family all over again. So let me tell you something else about Harry," she pushed on, seeing Maya flinch, and Ken sigh slightly. "Harry is one of the most noble people I have ever seen. He would risk his own life to save a stranger, no questions asked. In fact, he has done so on more than one occasion! During my first year, he saved me even though he did not really know me. Last year, he risked his own life to save his godfather, going as far as to break into the Ministry of Magic to do so. This year, he saved two Slytherin girls from being killed while he was rushing off to save another friend of his!" Her voice had risen into a shout by now, and half the Common Room, the half nearest Ginny, had followed the Creevey brother's example, and had edged to the far half of the Common Room.

"Today, he had a chance to heal the Headmaster's injury, and the fact that he had to risk his life to do so probably didn't matter to him, as it was no more than he has done in the past. Whether it is fighting the Death Eaters, or using a Healing Spell from Hell, risk is risk, and I'm sure to Harry, there is no difference whatsoever." She stood up again. "I said what I came to say. I'm sure you'll make the right decision", she said, starting to turn.

"Sit," Ken demanded, and despite herself, Ginny sat. One did not ignore an order given by Mahou mo Ken-sama.

"I will treat my own Apprentice in any way I want," she told the girl. "And I have knowledge of the events of which you speak. However, I will not have my Apprentices second-guess me. I assumed your Headmaster would have been intelligent enough to stop Harry, however, he allowed himself to be talked into this foolishness. I am well aware of Harry's penchant to get himself into trouble, and out of it as well. I am also well aware of his ability to survive the most horrendous of events. I will, however, not allow him to risk not just his life, but his very soul in the use of the Dark Arts, even if they are used to save someone. Right now, he is debating whether what he did was right. He will be reminded of this event the next time he needs to make this choice."

Ken glanced at Maya, before looking back at Ginny. "The Dark Arts are treacherous. They will slip their way into one's thinking. Two times, Harry used them to heal someone. The next time it may be for some other reason. Eventually, he will have slipped completely. It is for this reason, and this reason alone, that I am doing this. I have no wish to see one of my precious Apprentices go down that slippery road."

Ginny swallowed, feeling rather embarrassed now. "There is one thing you did not take into account," she said after swallowing her fear and embarrassment.

"Oh?" Ken asked. "Then please, child, enlighten me."

"Us," Ginny said, motioning for the other side of the room, where Ron, Neville, and Hermione still had their wands drawn. To her surprise, some of the other Gryffindors had followed suit, and she could see the Creevey brothers, Dean, and Seamus all had their wands out as well. "We are Harry's friends. We will not let him fall. Harry does not do what is easy – he does what is right. And I believe that, taking a risk to heal another's injury, that is the right thing to do. Even if it is dangerous, just as it is right to save someone, and risking your life to do so." She swallowed again. "I hope that, one day, I can be as brave as Harry is, and look death in the eye the way he can."

Ken and Maya shared a long look.

00000

Harry threw the hood of his invisibility cloak off. Playing 'floating head' was fun at times, but right now, at the top of the Divination Tower, it was rather chilly and the cloak offered some of the warmth he was missing due to his forgotten coat.

He cursed under his breath as his foot kicked at the battlement. The tower was abandoned, most couples went to the Astronomy Tower to be alone, and nobody wanted to be near Trelawney any more than was strictly necessary.

At this point, Harry couldn't care less, and he kicked the battlement again. He was alone. That was what was important. He tried, one last time, to contact Maya through the link. It was shielded shut.

Letting out his breath, his hand reached underneath his cloak and robe, and drew his sword. He hadn't practised with it in a while, Ken having focused on his magical training first and foremost, and Harry found that he missed the sword practice he had enjoyed in Japan.

Realizing that he might never have another sword-lesson, never mind seeing Japan again, caused him to throw off his invisibility cloak, and go through an aggressive couple of motions, his body and sword cutting through the chilly autumn air. Slowly, his eyes closed and he lost himself to the feeling of his body moving, drifting into the repetitive motions of the sword kata.

His kata ended, and Harry opened his eyes once more. Drawing a breath, he looked at his staff, upright and balancing on its tip not far away. He looked around, finding himself still alone, and nodded faintly. He stepped back to his initial position, closed his eyes, and felt for his magic.

He burst into motion, not following a predetermined path, but letting his mind battle the shadows, guiding his body through the magic connecting himself to his sword. Faster and faster his movements became, uncaring of sight or sound, losing himself in the ecstasy of movement. In perfect silence he danced, guided by the rustle of his boots and the whisper of the wind.

Finally, with a strangled gasp, his movement stopped, his body erect, both arms outstretched with both hands locked on the handle of his sword, the weapon itself halted mere centimetres above the battlement he was facing.

It would have been so easy to let the movement continue, slam sword against stone and letting magic decide who was better.

Harry released his breath. It would have been too easy.

Stepping back, he saluted the thin air, before sheathing the sword. With a sharp _snap_, the weapon locked in its scabbard. His heart was pounding, he realized for the first time, and it had felt good to release the day's pent-up frustrations into his exercise.

Sinking against the battlement he had been mere moments away from cleaving in half, Harry leaned his face in his hands, sword securely leaning against his shoulder. Just how long would he have, before Ken and Maya returned to Japan? Just how much longer...

He swallowed.

"To me," he whispered, hand outstretched to his staff. Thanks to the thick Hogwarts wards, drawing his staff to him was extremely limited in range, but even he could manage to five or so meters that it was separated from him. Leaning his staff against his other shoulder, Harry hunched in on himself, trying not to feel the cold of the night air, trying not to feel the cold that had placed itself in his heart, trying not to _feel,_ period.

His head snapped up when he heard footsteps. He wanted to be _alone!_ Slowly, he stood up, just as the door was pushed open.

"I'm sorry," Luna said when she saw him. "I didn't mean to intrude."

"It's all right," Harry told the blond as she was about to close the door and go back the way she came from. "I'm guessing you came up here for the same reason I did."

Luna turned to look at him, then nodded. "To be alone."

Harry dipped his head in confirmation.

"That's why I apologized," Luna said. "I come up here to look at the stars... to be away from everything."

"I can understand that," Harry said, leaning against the battlement. "I know the Astronomy Tower is used for other things, but I didn't think anybody would think of coming up here."

Luna shrugged, and walked over to him, leaning against the wall next to him. True to her word, she looked up at the stars.

For long minutes, they remained in silence, and for once, Harry didn't mind it. To be alone, together, sounded just fine to him.

"Would you like to talk about it?" Luna finally asked. "I have heard, and seen, quite a few things today, but I'd rather know the full story before saying anything else."

Harry rubbed his forehead. Should he tell her? He glanced at Luna, who was watching him with her larger-than-life pale silver eyes, and he remembered the Occlumency that shaped her personality. "Luna," he whispered. "If I tell this to you... will you promise to keep it locked up? Behind your Occlumency?"

She frowned slightly, as if wondering if she should feel insulted or not, before smiling. "I always keep everything behind my Occlumency," she replied. "But if you'd rather not tell, that's okay."

He lapsed into silence again. He'd rather not say anything, but a small part of him argued that maybe an outside perspective could help.

So, Harry licked his lips, and started to talk. He talked and talked, telling Luna everything that had happened, unable to stop once he got going. Telling her felt strangely liberating, especially when he talked about the Dursleys, about meeting Ken, how he had felt after meeting her, how her teachings had helped him. He tried to be honest, talked about his mistakes, about the risks he took, about saving Ken by going halfway around the world. He talked about everything he could think of, the story seemingly rolling off his lips on its own, regardless of whether he wanted to tell it or not.

Finally, he sighed, and stopped. "And now, they'll probably turn their backs on me."

Luna had remained silent throughout his story, her attention unwaveringly on him, as if nothing else in the world mattered but listening to him.

Absent-mindedly, Luna rubbed her arms. "I don't think you will lose them, Harry," she finally said. "But I also think you owe them an apology."

He frowned at her. "I am NOT apologizing for helping the Headmaster!" she said, sounding slightly angry.

Luna shook her head. "Not for that. But, I think, you have forgotten that your teacher and her first apprentice are Japanese witches. For them, honour, duty, and loyalty are much more than they are to us Westerners. I believe that Ken is angry not because you helped the Headmaster, but because you broke a promise to her, and because you went against her wishes. Maya, I believe, is angry with you for the same reason. She is loyal to her teacher."

Harry's mouth sagged open slightly. "I didn't think about that," he muttered, then noticed her rubbing her arms again. "_Accio_ cloak," he said, summoning his invisibility cloak to him, opening it up and draping it around Luna's shoulders.

"An invisibility cloak", she said with a smile. "I had wondered."

"It's not much, but it's warmer than being out here in just plain robes," Harry replied.

"Thank you. I had not counted on being out here for a while," Luna said with an honest smile on her face. "Aren't you cold?"

Harry trembled slightly, but shook his head anyway. "Not really."

Luna's stare turned penetrating. "I believe you are lying to me," she declared flatly. And because it was not a question but a statement, there was not much Harry could say to it before Luna had shimmied closer to him, and had thrown half of the cloak over his shoulders.

"Eh... Luna..." Harry whispered when he felt her lean against him so both could huddle under the invisibility cloak, twin floating heads and twin pairs dismembered feet all that was visible about them.

"I believe it would be more comfortable if you would put your arm around me," Luna suggested. Harry reacted on automatic and put his arm around her shoulders. Feeling her lean against his side made him realize that a) she was soft, b) she was warm, and c) she was right about both of them fitting under the cloak more easily this way.

"Now, I believe we were talking about your teacher," Luna said with a small smile.

Harry just nodded dumbly.

"Are you going to apologize?" she asked.

"I don't know," Harry replied, blinking a couple of times to get his mind cleared. "I think I will. I hadn't looked at it like that."

"Good," she replied with a small nod.

She went silent then, and returned to staring at the stars above. It was only now, after they had both fallen silent, that Harry realized he actually had an arm around Luna's shoulders, and that he was most definitely closer than was usually accepted between friends. However, he didn't really know what to do about it – except stand up and go inside, that is.

"I haven't been attacked by a bandersnatch, Harry," Luna whispered from her position.

"Eh?" Harry asked eloquently, off-guard by the non-sequitur.

"A bandersnatch," Luna replied. "I haven't been attacked by one."

Harry glanced down at her, and for a moment he thought he saw an amused smile on her face, before it was replaced by her usually airy disposition. "What do you mean by that, Luna?"

"That I have not been turned into an animated glass statue against my wishes," she replied with a definite note of amusement in her voice.

Harry blinked owlishly at her, still not understanding. Luna's mouth quirked into a faint smile. "Your arm has been twitching for a while, and it feels as if you're afraid I will break if you hold me."

Harry didn't know whether to turn red, chuckle, laugh, or snort.

So he did all of the above, and Luna's look of amusement increased at the strange sights and noises of the boy right next to her. But his arm did drop comfortably across her shoulders now. "I'm sorry Luna," he said finally. "But I'm not really used to... this. You know?"

Luna's head turned to behold him. "This?" she asked.

He blew out his breath. He should have known she wasn't going to make it easy for him. For a moment he debated on how it could be that he started to know Luna so well, before he turned his attention back to her. "Holding someone. Like this."

Luna merely shrugged, the motion carrying from her shoulders into his body. "It is quite relaxing, though. Even if I am not used to... this... either."

He smiled slightly at her choice of words. "It _is_ very relaxing," he agreed with her. "It feels very nice."

Luna just nodded. Again, they lapsed into silence, each alone with their thoughts, before Luna glanced back to him, rather than at the stars above. "You're really not used to... this?"

He chuckled slightly. It seemed like that they had a new inside-joke between them. "I'm not exactly prime dating material, Luna," he said with a small smile. "Even if I didn't have Voldemort after me, there's always someone out to hurt me... or worse. Plus, I don't seem to be having all that much luck in the personality department either."

"You are brave, loyal, and have been doing your best to change yourself," she answered levelly. "You really shouldn't put yourself down like that, Harry."

He shrugged slightly. "More like I'm stupid, doing all that stuff without thinking of the consequences." He sighed. "Sensei is right, I take stupid risks. I'm an idiot."

Luna removed herself from under his arm and from under the cloak, and stood up to face him. To his consternation, she actually looked angry. "Does that mean you regret what you did for me, as well?"

Harry blinked. "What? No! Of course not!"

"Then you regret saving the Headmaster?"

He sighed. "Not really," he muttered, looking at the ground.

She dropped to her knees, and lifted his head so they were face-to-face once more. "Harry, you are loyal, and you are brave. You would risk all you have to help someone. And that is quality that you should never lose!"

He swallowed. Luna, fully worked up, was a sight to behold. "But still... it may have cost me something that was more than I was willing to pay."

"It hasn't," she declared with utmost certainty. "I am certain that, if you apologize for going against your teacher's word, for breaking your promise, that all will be forgiven." She seemed to relax, and he could see a faint notion of Occlumency coming up in her mind again. "Do you know there are two kinds of loyalty, Harry?"

Again, he blinked at the jump in thoughts, and shook his head. "No, I didn't, Luna."

She nodded. "There is the usual kind of loyalty, the kind of loyalty a person has to his or her leader, or his or her country, or whatever group they belong to. It is that kind of loyalty that has men march to their death at the drop of a word. And then there is the kind of loyalty that only the great ever have, the loyalty of a leader to their subordinates, to his followers. It is a rare thing, Harry, for a leader to show the kind of loyalty that you have been showing. Last year in the Department of Mysteries, this year in Hogsmeade. You protected us, and did whatever you could to help us, and in the end, even thanked us for being there."

Harry blinked, not having expected that string of perfectly coherent consciousness from Luna. "And because of it, we will follow you," she said. "I am certain of myself, and if I have read Ronald, Hermione, Ginerva, and Neville correctly, they too, will be there, if only you would ask."

"So you see, Harry, you are not as bad as you think yourself to be. There are still people here who care about you."

He smiled faintly. "And I'll probably get all of you killed, too," he muttered. He thought he had muttered quietly enough to be unheard.

He thought wrong. "If we die, it is because they will have gone through you to get to us," Luna said, the vaguely-angry tone back in her voice, and it was disconcerting how much more that faint tone of anger worried him, compared to everybody else. "I refuse to let you put yourself down, Harry."

"But..."

"You have given a lot," she interrupted him. "You lost your parents, you lost your godfather. But, Harry, remember what I told you... one day, we will meet again those we lost. And as long as we remember them, how can they be really gone? But, Harry, you can't let it change you. Your best quality is the fact that you are willing to risk your life and limb to help someone, even when there is only a glimmer of a chance. That's why you jumped to Japan using short-range teleportation seals, and that's why you used the Blood Arts to help your Sensei and our Headmaster. You can't let people take that from you... or Voldemort will have won."

"You can say his name," he whispered.

Luna smiled faintly. "Now lift that arm, I am getting cold." He smiled, and lifted his arm, opening the cloak up so she could crawl back next to him. His arm dropped into place.

"I hope you're right, Luna," he whispered faintly. "I really hope you're right."

"Of course I am, Harry," Luna said with a faint smile. "I always am... and I can even be wrong if I want to."

He chuckled. It may not have been the best joke he had ever heard, but it cleared the air after that moody discussion, and it lifted his spirits. "Thanks, Luna. I really needed that talk," he said, honestly. Vaguely, he remembered Maya shouting '_say thank you'_ into his mind at one time.

She smiled up at him, then seemed to gather her resolve. "Can I try something?"

Harry shrugged. "Sure. What?"

Smiling mysteriously, Luna lifted one hand. To his surprise, she reached for the back of his head while sitting up straight. Right before he could ask what she was planning, Luna reached in, and her lips met his.

His first reaction was the startle, and pull away.

His second reaction made him forget all about his first one, as electricity seemed to reach for the tips of his fingers and toes.

By the time she let him go, he was almost out of breath. Before he could kick start his mind, his body reacted. "Wow. Can we do that again?"

She moved away from him, and turned to face him. "I am not that kind of girl, Harry."

He blinked at that, and asked, "What do you mean?"

She smiled faintly. "I am not going to kiss a boy unless we are going out. I am not that kind of girl."

_That_ threw him for a loop, and his thoughts raced, one after another.

His first thought was, _But you just kissed me..._

His second thought followed right after the first, _Waitaminute... did she just say what I think she did?_

He looked at her, and his third thought formed, and stuck around. _Do I _want _her to say what I think she said?_

He swallowed deeply, unsure of the unfamiliar territory he had suddenly seemed to find himself on. It was one thing to face Death Eaters, heck, he could face Voldemort. But this... this was something else entirely. "L-Luna," he whispered. "I... do you... I mean... will you... go out with me?"

Pain seemed to etch itself on her face, the small smile and joking attitude fading as if never existing. "Please don't joke about this, Harry," she asked, her voice suddenly frail and uncertain. It was something he had never heard in the airy and confident Luna Lovegood before, and he didn't much care for hearing it ever again.

"I'm not," he found himself saying. "Not about things like this."

He saw her swallow, and sit down next to him again. "In that case... yes," she said, the faint smile growing wider than he had seen it ever be, and _that_ was something he _wanted_ to see again.

"So..." he finally said, "does this mean... we can do that again?"

A mischievous look appeared took over her features. "I do believe that _that_ is something that usually happens between boyfriend and girlfriend."

_Girlfriend,_ he thought. _Luna Lovegood, my girlfriend,_ he repeated his thoughts. _I like the sound of that._

The next moment, his thoughts vanished entirely as their lips met once more.

After their kiss ended, and Harry leaned against the battlement once more, he was most gratified when Luna actually leaned against him, putting her head on his shoulder, his arm coming up automatically to encompass her. Throwing the invisibility cloak over them with his free right arm, he remained silent, not really knowing what to say. Nor did he know what to do, either. It wasn't exactly a situation he had ever found himself in before.

Both of them remained silent for an indeterminable amount of time, neither of them quite sure of themselves, or on what to do.

Deciding on dragging his Gryffindor courage to the front, Harry drew a breath, and looked at Luna, her head still on his shoulder, her eyes closed. "Luna?"

"Hm?" the girl asked, opening her silver eyes to peer at him.

"I'm... scared," he admitted.

She smiled faintly. "I'm not going to hurt you, Harry."

He found himself returning her smile. "I'm scared of hurting _you_," he replied. "I'm not... exactly experienced. I don't know what to do. I don't know what I _can_ do. I don't..."

He stopped when she put one finger against his lips. "I haven't done this before either," Luna replied. "We're both insecure. Neither of us have done this before. We don't know what to do or how to act. Let's make a deal... if either of us does something the other doesn't like, we tell them, and they'll back off. What do you think?"

Harry was silent at that, thinking that over. Finally, he smiled and nodded. "Deal." He smiled down at her. Deciding on testing their deal already, he leaned in close, aiming his lips at hers. Her smile grew, and she leaned up, meeting him halfway.

"That keeps getting better," Harry muttered when they leaned back.

"I think we need to practice a lot more," Luna said impishly. "Practice is fun."

"Yes," Harry agreed. "Yes, it is."

Luna sighed, and shifted slightly. "I think I should go," she whispered, sounding somewhat sad. "I think we're about to miss curfew, and you still need to have a talk with your Sensei."

"Oh?" Harry asked, smiling slightly as he held on to her, not letting her get up. "Deciding on running my life, Luna?"

"It's what a girlfriend does, isn't it? Tell you things that everybody else either doesn't want to, or is scared of, telling you?"

He chuckled at that. "I guess it is," he admitted, standing up and holding out a hand to her. She took it, and he helped her to her feet. "And you're right. I do still need to talk to Sensei."

"I guess this is where you kiss me goodnight," Luna suggested.

Harry's eyebrows rose. "Why can't I walk you to the Ravenclaw entrance?" he asked.

Luna blinked twice. "You would want to be seen with me?" she asked. Suddenly, that same frail and uncertain girl was back, the girl that, despite keeping up appearances, had been hurt and shunned by most of the general population.

"Of course," he replied, frowning slightly. "I thought that was one of those things a boyfriend does."

When he saw her lean in, he smiled, and kissed her. "Thank you," she whispered to him. "I'm rather uncertain..."

This time, it was his turn to put a finger against her lips. "I've been shunned, laughed at, called many things since I have been here. I can take whatever they hand out." He suddenly looked worried. "Of course, if you'd rather not be seen with me, I'll understand."

"Absolutely not," she declared from behind his finger. Kissing the finger pressed against her lips, she grabbed his hand. "Come on."

He smiled, and let the blond drag him from the Tower, his free hand summoning his staff to him before the door had closed.

"Sorry," Luna said as they walked down the stairs. "I forgot about your staff."

"It's a good thing I have my sword in my belt," Harry said, smiling. "Otherwise, I'd be short one hand."

"In that case, yes, it's a very good thing," Luna replied, squeezing his hand. "I think I would miss this hand in mine."

00000

"Aren't you going to give me the password, dearie?" the Fat Lady asked.

"I'm trying to gather my courage," Harry told her. "I've had to draw on it too much already, and I'm not sure I've got much of it left."

The Fat Lady nodded. "I see. Well, if there's one thing I know, it's that us Gryffindors always seem to have more courage than we know."

Harry chuckled. "Familiar with the feeling, huh?" he asked her. The portrait chuckled in reply, and Harry drew a steeling breath. "Very well. I might as well go on."

He gave her the password, and boldly, he entered the Common Room. Immediately, he picked up on the tense atmosphere present. Glancing to one side, where most of the Gryffindors seemed to have gathered, glaring openly to the other side. The other side held merely Ken and Maya.

There was a time when he would have turned, and walked up the stairs. But that was a long time ago. There was a time, a shorter while ago, where he would have asked what the matter was. But, he had a pretty good idea, and he no longer felt like he could let his confidence out. It was his self-confidence that had gotten him here.

Right now was the time where he would need to be the apprentice, the student, rather than the teacher. He would need to take of responsibility for his actions. Even if those actions saved yet another life.

He drew another breath, his mind recalling what Luna had told him – to apologize for disobeying her order, rather than apologizing for saving the Headmaster. He lifted his head, and strode over to where his teacher and his magically adopted sister were sitting.

"Sensei, maybe I have a moment of your time?"

She looked at him from her seated position, and even though he was standing, he could feel the intimidation factor that came off her. "I wish to apologize for going against your wishes." He bowed deeply. "I'm very sorry."

He felt, rather than saw, Ken stand up. Knowing better than to release his bow, he awaited her reaction. "You are apologizing for going against my wishes," Ken said, standing in front of him so he could see her boots. "Yet you are not apologizing for the act itself?"

Harry swallowed. "That is correct, Sensei. I have gone against your wishes, and for that I apologize." He drew another deep breath. Why was his courage fleeing? Why was his heart attempting to drop into his shoes, and crawl away? "I cannot apologize for the action itself, for I do not regret it, and I do not wish to lie to you, my teacher."

She remained silent, and Harry swallowed deeply. Finally, "I see." More silence. "How do you expect me to be able to trust you?"

Harry flinched, wishing that he had a decent answer for her. At last, he said, "Sensei, you know I will never abuse what you have taught me, nor what, I hope, you will teach me in the future."

"Yet you have," Ken stated. "The Dark Arts are discouraged for a reason. They are insidious and treacherous. I do not wish you using them, even for saving someone."

Harry sighed, and felt like the floor was dropping from underneath him. "I cannot, in good conscience, stand by and let a person suffer when I am in the possibility of helping them," he stated, his voice dull and flat. "I don't want to make a promise I cannot keep. When a person is in need, I will help them, regardless of the cost to myself."

"What about the cost to others?" Ken demanded. "If you lose your soul, it is your friends, and your family, that will have to deal with the consequences."

Harry was silent then. "I told you!" He heard Ginny snap at Ken, and Harry startled as her angry voice cut through the thoughts rolling around in his head. "We won't let him fall!"

At her words, he thought of Luna, who had informed him that it was part of her duties as a girlfriend to tell him those things others were afraid to tell him. "My friends will help me, Sensei. I trust them to tell me when and if I go to far, and I trust them to be honest and forthright enough to stop me should I reach that point."

"That's right, and don't you forget it, buster," Ginny told him, and he could imagine her waggling her finger as she said so.

Ken was silent, and Harry was starting to think the worst when he felt her hand on his shoulder, telling him he could get up now. He did so, ignoring the protesting of his back, and looked into her eyes. "You have very loyal friends, Harry," she said with a faint smile. "I will accept your apology – on the condition that you will accept mine. I should have realized after what happened this summer that you would never turn your back on a person in trouble."

He hadn't expected that. "O-of course, Sensei!"

Her faint smile grew a little less faint. "Then I think it is time for me to welcome you back."

"Thank you, Sensei!"

00000

It was long after curfew, and the Common Room was dark, safe for the almost-extinguished fire in the fireplace. Long shadows played catch with the furniture, the windows, the floor and the walls. In the couch in front of the fire, Harry sat, hunched over, staring at the few remaining dancing flames, lost in thought.

Someone sat down next to him. "Harry?"

He glanced at his visitor. He had been expecting her, truth be told. However, he had expected her much sooner. "Maya?"

She winced slightly. "Things have changed, haven't they?"

He nodded silently.

"You were an idiot," she said, bluntly.

"I was an idiot to save a person's life," he replied.

"You didn't know that at the time."

"But I do now," he told her. "The Headmaster's magic, and that unknown magic, were barely enough to arrest that... curse. It would have killed him." He turned to look at her. "I saved the Headmaster's life, and I refuse to be guilty for doing so."

"Hindsight is twenty-twenty," Maya answered.

"I made the right decision," Harry said, stubbornly.

She shrugged. "Maybe. It was idiotic." She drew a breath. "And brave." She swallowed. "Harry... I was so scared. Scared I was going to lose you. Those seals are so dangerous. They could have drawn more from you than you were willing to give. Once invoked, they can't be interrupted. If it hadn't been enough to stop whatever was eating the Headmaster's hand, it would have killed you doing it before giving up. Or it could have taken your soul, instead."

"I have more power than that, Maya," he answered, not a hint of boasting. "I know. The last time I ran out of magic, I tapped a Line, remember?"

Maya turned, lifting one leg up in the couch to turn to him fully. "I had forgotten about that."

"I thought you might," he said, somewhat bitterly, as he looked back at the flames.

"Harry?"

"Yes?"

Silence.

"Maya?"

"I'm sorry. I was so scared. And then Sensei got angry. It was easier to go along with her. And she's Sensei... I... I'm sorry."

"Is that why you still have the link blocked off?"

"You have it blocked off, too," she answered softly.

He chuckled slightly. "Let's not play the game of who blocked it off, okay?" He turned slightly to face her. "What are we, now?" he asked.

She went silent, and sighed. "We still have this link," she finally said.

"Fat load of good it will do us if we both keep it blocked," he replied.

"You know just as well as I do that the blocking only keeps us from leaking to the other. If you wanted, you could rip through without effort, just like I could rip through yours," she said. He shrugged in answer. "Harry... I really am sorry, you know."

He sighed, and nodded. "I'm sorry too. I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to help my Headmaster."

"Will you forgive me, if I forgive you?"

He smiled faintly as he looked at her. "Isn't that what family does? Forgive each other?"

"In that case, I forgive you, _onii-san_," she said, smiling widely.

He returned the same. "And I forgive you, _onee-san_."

They laughed, feeling the barriers on the link dissolve as they opened their thoughts once more. "I want to do something decidedly un-Japanese, Sis," Harry told her.

"Oh?" Maya asked, lifting an eyebrow, a cute smile on her lips. "And what's that?"

He dove at her, using her relaxed position against her, and before she could react, his arms had clamped around her. "I missed you, Sis, even if it was just for less than a day."

He felt her tense up, before relaxing, and her arms came around him. "I missed you too," she whispered. "But I will deny saying so."

He chuckled. "Let's make a deal. Next time one of us does something stupid, we'll talk it out, rather than... you know."

"Deal," Maya said, following it up by a mental handshake. Just the sensation of her mind against his made Harry smile once more.

"Now, what has you so happy?" Maya asked. "I can feel it oozing at me. And it's not just because Sensei and I have decided to forgive you."

"Now _that_ would be telling, and a gentleman never tells," Harry said, grinning, as he stood and walked up the stairs to the boy's dormitory. Maya faint laughter reached after him, through the ever-lengthening shadows continuing their game of catch.

00000

When Harry entered the Great Hall for breakfast the next morning, he told Maya to go and save him a seat. The girl gave up on trying to wheedle information from him, recognising that she probably was going to get an answer to her questions pretty soon, and grinned as she walked to the Gryffindor table, saving an empty seat. Harry's friends looked strangely at him as he walked to the Ravenclaw table.

Leaning over Luna's shoulder, he kissed her cheek. "Good morning, beautiful."

Rather than startle her, as he had hoped, the girl turned her spacey look at him. "Good morning to you, too, handsome," she replied casually, as if him kissing her good morning was an every-day occurrence. Silence was dropping faster across the Great Hall than a block of granite throw from the Astronomy Tower.

He leaned closer to her, and whispered in her ear, "Can I try something?"

Recognising the words she had used yesterday, Luna nodded at him; She looked absolutely confident in him, confident that, no matter what he did, it would never intentionally hurt her, and that, no matter what, should she be hurt, she would recover.

He leaned even closer, and picked her up. Apparently, it was enough to startle even Luna, as she let out a cute little squeak as he did so. Ignoring the looks and stares, he calmly walked to the Gryffindor table with his precious burden, and sat down in the seat Maya had saved him, placing Luna firmly across his lap.

"Good morning, everybody," he greeted his friends. "And what a good morning it is."

Out of all of his friends, it was Hermione who recovered first. "Harry Potter! Just what are you doing?"

Harry looked at her, looked at Luna, looked back at Hermione, his face displaying what a stupid question he thought it was, and tried thinking of a decent thing to say. Finally, his brain engaged into first gear, and he smiled faintly. "Proving I can pick up a girl in the Great Hall?"

His response brought a big smile to Luna's face, and she leaned closer against him. "We have lots of things to do, Harry," she told him in the sheer quiet of the Great Hall. "You need to prove you can pick up girls in the library, in the hallways, in the Transfiguration classroom, the Charms classroom,..." she leaned in closer, "The Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom."

He chuckled, and glanced at Snape, who was going a vicious puce-like colour. Ron started choking on an aborted laugh. Hermione planted her hands in her sides. "That's not funny!"

"Of course not, Hermione," Luna admonished. "It'll be lots and lots of hard work. But the benefits to Harry's physical condition will be worth it."

Harry chuckled, along with Ron and Neville, while Hermione huffed, and Ginny grinned. "You're beaten, Hermione," Ginny finally said, before looking at Harry and Luna. "So, I guess congratulations are in order?"

"Thanks, Ginny," Harry said, while Luna blinked dreamily, and started filling a breakfast plate. Ignoring the whispers breaking out in the rest of the Great Hall, Harry reached with one arm to the breakfast table, only to find it intercepted by Luna.

"I like it better if you keep both arms around me," she told him. Shrugging, Harry dropped his arm, and draped it around her, joining his left arm, which had already been doing so. Luna, meanwhile, had finished heaping a huge breakfast onto a plate, and grabbed the plate and a fork.

She took the first bite herself, before holding the second bite out to Harry. Catching on, he let her feed him, grinning widely as she did so. Conversation ground to a halt once more as Luna fed both herself and Harry, both grinning widely.

"I wouldn't mind some bacon rashers, though," Harry suggested after swallowing yet another fork-full of scrambled eggs.

"Of course, how silly of me," Luna said, reaching out and grabbing a few rashers.

"Harry, you really shouldn't take advantage of Luna like that," Hermione grunted, still somewhat upset over Harry's earlier behaviour.

Harry immediately got a stricken look on his face. "Luna, I-" he stopped talking when the blond put a finger on his lips.

"You do not take advantage of me, Harry. Don't listen to her." She turned to look at Hermione. "I would kindly ask you not to poke your nose in other people's affairs. Especially as those people's affairs might be protected by Borogoves, and your nose might be bitten off."

"But..." Hermione tried to defend herself.

"Harry does not take advantage of me. I do not take advantage of Harry. We have discussed this – neither of us will do anything against our wishes. And now kindly refrain from making my boyfriend feel bad. He has had enough of that from his teacher and his sister," Luna pushed on, over Hermione's aborted objection. A blink of an eye later, airy and spacey Luna was back, and she held out a bacon rasher for Harry. "You really should eat a bit more, Harry. Otherwise, the Dorkoms might come and get you."

Blinking, he smiled faintly. "Thanks, Luna," he whispered to her, gently kissing her cheek before biting into the rasher. He liked kissing her cheek. It was soft, like kissing a peach.

00000

"Faurink Maya, Plasmatizer, asks the Seals, what are you!?" Maya demanded the two blank seals held between her fingers of her right and left hands. The magic started to shape, and almost, the voice started speaking, before they disintegrated back into the nothingness from which they came. A rather loud cuss word broke the stillness of the afternoon air, demonstrating her displeasure quite loudly.

"You still did not power the Seals sufficiently," Ken said as she walked over to Maya. "Harry has no problems with this, his core holds more than enough magical energy to multi-cast Seals, but you will need some more practice."

Maya muttered under her breath, before nodding, and drawing two new Seals. "While you practice that, I will continue to teach Harry how to do the Flash Step," Ken told her first apprentice, before turning to look at Harry.

"Recapitulation?" she asked.

Harry nodded. "The Shunpo, or Flash Step, is a method of extreme short-range teleportation that is carried out during a standard run or walking step. A practitioner focuses on the target, no more than a dozen metres away, and forces his or her magic to accelerate his or her body to near instantaneous movement. The higher the skill of the practitioner, the nearer the speed will be to 'instantaneous'."

"Correct," Ken replied. "At higher skill levels, what are the results of this near-instantaneous movement?"

"It will appear as if the practitioner is in more than one place at once, conceivably attacking multiple opponents at the same time, or, stepping away from an attack that, at first glance, seemed to have struck."

"Good," Ken replied with a small nod. "Now, why do you fail?"

In the background, Harry could hear the first syllable come from a dual-cast Seal, before it disintegrated, punctuated by another cuss from Maya. He closed his eyes, and went over what he knew, and what he felt. "I don't know, Sensei," he whispered. "I'm sorry."

She cocked her head slightly, and her gaze burned into his eyes. "There is no shame in not knowing. I have told you this before... why do you apologize?"

He let his breath out audibly. Drawing a breath, he opened his mouth to reply, seemed to reconsider, closed it, and thought about his answer. Her frown deepened slightly. "I have not known you to mince words. You have always been honest with me, as I have been with you. What is wrong?"

Harry looked at the ground. "I don't want to anger you, Sensei," he finally admitted. "Yesterday... it has shown me there are things I can not bear, and one of those is losing you."

"And now," Ken said, "we are getting to the heart of the matter." She walked toward him, and placed her hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up. "You will never anger me through failure. As long as you try, try, and try again, you will never disappoint me. Your progress is remarkable."

"T-Thank you, Sensei."

"I realize that things have... changed... between us. However, if I did not wish to remain your teacher, I would not have. I don't intend to change the way I teach you, nor will I change the way I relate to you. I only ask that you try and do the same, and in short order, we will be able to put this behind us, and, perhaps, in the future, will remain only as a fond memory, worthy of jokes and laughs."

He almost asked, '_Really__?'_, but refrained at the last moment. "I would like that, Sensei."

She dropped her hand, turned, and walked back to her original location. "Good. Now, try again."

Harry nodded, and focused one a spot five metres away. He took a step, willing his magic to respond. Something within him pushed and strained, yet Harry took just a normal step. Behind him, he could hear half a dual-cast incantation, half a second before Maya's grunt of dissatisfaction. Harry closed his eyes, and reached for his magic.

_Focus, intent, determination. I will take this step._ Opening his eyes, his mantra repeated itself. _I will take this step._ He stepped, and the magic that he was pushing out of his core finally acted.

The world blurred around him, and he fell down when it came into focus once more, his velocity knocking him off-balance and making him tumble through the grass. "Good," Ken said from over him, at his side in barely an instant. "You have taken the first step. Now take the second."

Nodding with determination, Harry stood up, and stepped. Now that he knew what it felt like, now that he knew what to do, he forced his magic through it. He stepped, and the world blurred. This time, his stumble barely knocked him to the ground, but he still grunted with pain as his feet and his knees took the brunt of the impact against the ground. Wincing as he stood, he rubbed his aching muscles.

"You do not cut the speed correctly," Ken said from next to him. "That is unusual, normally, one does that automatically. It is as if you are re-entering normal speed faster than normal."

Harry blinked owlishly at her. "Could that be why I keep falling when I use the Floo?"

Ken rubbed her chin in though. "Perhaps," she allowed. "Without witnessing it, I can not say. However, I _can_ comment on the Flash Step." She circled him, staring him up and down, and eyeing the ground. "Just how much power are you pushing into it?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know, Sensei. My magical control isn't far enough to tell you."

She stopped in front of him. "So, basically, you are still subscribing to the motto of 'shove enough energy at it, and any problem can be solved'?"

Harry shrugged. "Basically," he allowed.

Ken rubbed her eyes. "I will tell Maya to redouble your magical control exercises. Once you gain perfect control, your reserves will make you one of the Great Wizards of your time." She waved her hand. "No matter. We are here for the Flash Step."

Maya's dual-cast Seals were getting louder, and came close to finishing now. Harry could feel the wasted magic of the disintegrated spell matrix pulse over him with each aborted try. "I want you to pay attention to your speed. Step normally, feel how fast you are going. I then want you to try and mimic that speed when you arrive out of Flash speeds."

Harry nodded, and did as she asked, taking three normal steps before taking a Flash Step. When the blurred world started to arrive into focus, he slammed his magic 'in reverse' in a matter of speaking, and arrived, standing perfectly still.

Ken appeared next to him. "Your arrived sounded like a gunshot," she told him. "However, your speed seemed better." She looked pointedly at the floor. "Although, once again, you have shoved enough magic at the problem."

Harry followed her gaze, to a blackened patch of grass. "Oops?"

"_Oops_, indeed," Ken said with a faint smile. "Again."

Harry nodded, taking two steps before Flashing. He arrived, standing still. The grass was blackened half as much. "Better," Ken acknowledged. "Your progress, once again, is remarkable. Half a gunshot, and only half a lawn has been burned. Again."

Half an hour later, both Maya and Harry were standing in front of Ken.

"You have both worked well," she told her two apprentices. "Maya, you have shown that you have the power control necessary to force dual-casting of Seals. With practice, you will be able to do the same with more than two Seals. Although I would caution you against trying to do six simultaneous seals the way Harry does. It would probably drain you at once."

"Yes, Sensei. Thank you," Maya said.

"Harry," Ken spoke, turning to her second apprentice. "You have shown great progress. You have mastered a nearly silent Flash Step of a pretty good speed for a beginner. All you need now is to practice, and your speed will improve on its own."

"I will, Sensei," Harry replied with a slight bow.

"Practice, I can help you with, _Ototokun,_" Maya said, before slapping his shoulder. "Tag! You're it!"

Harry tried to look at her, but found her already a good few metres away. "You can't catch me!"

Harry grunted playfully, and gave chase. When he re-appeared, she had already stepped away, once more a few metres away, out of his reach. Again and again, they stepped, one trying to catch the other, flashing and blurring through and around groups of students.

"Stand still!" Harry shouted.

"Nuh-uh," Maya shouted back. "You're not getting the rules of tag," she taunted, flashing right next to him, flicking his ear, before flashing away. "You see, you're supposed to _catch_ me, while I try and _keep away_ from you!"

He flashed after her, only to see her step... sideways, before flashing past him. Looking over his shoulder, Harry focused on his destination, and stepped... backwards.

Flashing backwards was a lot harder than it was flashing forward, and he stumbled and rolled across the ground when he emerged. "Whoa!" Maya exclaimed, jumping up and over him as he rolled toward her. "You're learning _fast_," she declared. "Good!"

She had an infectious grin on her face, and Harry growled playfully, laughing as he chased after her. "I'm still not going to let you catch me!"

"To me," Harry said, pulling his staff to him, and flashing it around as it emerged into his hand.

"Missed me!" Maya shouted as a Petrificus went by her.

"Harry Potter, Plasmatizer, asks the Seal, what are you?" he muttered under his breath, forgetting the Seal's booming voice. _I am ice and snow, white ice and snow! I am the one who becomes a veil of ice that freezes everything!_

Maya's eyes went wide, and she stepped a few dozen metres away. Of course, Harry was as likely to let her put distance between him and her as she was to let him close that distance. He emerged out of Flash speeds, directly in front of her, a mere two metres difference between them, just as the final word was said.

He slapped the Seal to the ground, and watched with satisfaction as the area-of-effect Seal coated the green grass with the ice and snow of deep winter.

"That's cheating!" Maya declared as Harry slid toward her. She slipped away, nearly losing her balance, both unable to use the Flash step on the slippery underground.

"No, it's not!" Harry shouted back, laughing as he slipped and slid toward her on hands and knees.

"No magic!" Maya shouted back, laughing, trying to slip the other way, and succeeding, more or less.

"You started it by using the Flash Step!" Harry shot back.

"Fine!" Maya muttered, drawing her staff, and casting a fireball that melted the underground, giving her an underground stable enough to allow her to Flash Step away.

"Damn," Harry muttered, releasing his Mass Freeze-Seal, and standing up. "This is getting frustrating. Especially as she can go sideways, while I'm stuck going back and forth."

He stepped after her. She stepped away. He didn't let up, and went after her the moment he came back to normal speed, starting to chain his Flash Steps the way he had seen Ken do in her demonstrations, and upping the pressure on Maya, who was forced to do the same.

Harry Potter had changed the game from agility to endurance. Feeling her lesser reserves act against her, Maya emerged next to a tree, and hopped up, grabbing one of the thickest branches she could reach.

"A-hah!" Harry cried triumphantly, as he made to tag her.

"Nuh-uh," Maya said, grinning widely. "My feet are off the ground!"

"Does that count?" Harry asked, leaning against the tree trunk.

"Yes, it does!" Maya declared.

Harry rubbed his chin. He had never been involved in children's games like these – rather, he was always 'it' and if he were caught, Dudley and his gang weren't about to listen to 'my feet are off the ground'. And if he were caught, that would be the least of the worries.

How would children resolve these issues? She could stay up there indefinitely... of course.

He grinned. "One, two, three, four," he started counting, in an over-the-top childish fashion, brandishing fingers and everything. Maya cursed. Harry was laughing as he continued his count. Frantically looking around, Maya drew in a deep breath, let herself fall, and immediately jumped up again.

"Drat," Harry muttered. "Sneaky wench."

"Rules are rules, Little Brother," Maya said, laughing as Harry restarted his count, but this time from right next to where she would land, in case she tried the trick again.

Powering herself up, Maya used six out of her ten allotted seconds to get her weight on the branch, before closing her eyes, shooting a quick prayer, and Flash Stepping away.

The branch broke.

But not before she was launched to Flash Speeds.

"Crap," Harry muttered, Flashing after her.

He started pushing more power into it now, feeling how it boosted his speed. He was getting better at re-appearing at normal speeds, and felt he could up the ante. Maya's eyes went big when she saw him catch up, hand outstretched.

"Crap," she muttered, dropping under his hands, and rolling across the ground. Right as he was about to tag her, she lifted her feet off the ground.

"Ow, come on!" Harry muttered, fingers already counting. "Three, four five, six, seven..."

"Eh..." Maya looked around frantically, trying to figure out how to get out of this. She didn't find anything, and Harry had reached number nine. _This is going to hurt,_ Harry heard through the link right before she pushed her hands on the ground, and _pushed_.

Harry blinked the spots out of his vision when he was suddenly confronted by a blank spot of grass in front of him. "That's just not _fair_!" he shouted, right before he spotted Maya, not far away, rolling across the ground, holding both her arms.

"I'm never doing _that_ again!" she shouted loudly, "Damn that hurts!"

Harry flashed next to her, and grabbed her shoulder. "You okay, Sis?"

She looked at him, then at his hand on her shoulder. "Damn, you caught me."

"Nice moves," he complimented her, helping her stand up.

"There is a reason why it is called a Flash _Step_," Ken said, appearing next to them. "However, it seems no permanent damage was done, and that game has certainly helped Harry's use of the technique."

"Thank you, Sensei," Harry said, smiling slightly.

"And now I know not to try a Flash Push," Maya muttered.

Harry shrugged. "In a pinch, it might work – I certainly wasn't expecting it. In a fight, you could have thrown a curse through me."

Maya nodded. "True. But I'm still not going to do it again!"

Harry laughed, while Ken merely smiled. "Do you need to see the nurse?" she asked Maya.

"I'll be fine, Sensei," the girl replied. "But I think I'll have to take it slow for the rest of the day. I feel like I've spent the entire day lifting weights."

00000

Harry bit back a curse as the spell smashed over the line. "I'll never be good at this," he muttered while flinging his staff, vanishing the lines of the improvised Spellis court.

"You are getting better, Little Brother," Maya said with a cheeky smile. "There was a time you couldn't even give me a decent return. Now all we need to do is work more on your power-control."

Harry shrugged. "I guess," he muttered as they started to walk to the castle. Luna, who had been watching the last twenty minutes of the Spellis game, along with quite a bit of the Hogwarts student population, moulded herself to his side.

"As all things, it's only a matter of practice," the blonde said. "I'm sure you'll get better at it."

He shrugged again. "Listen to your girlfriend, Harry," Maya said, winking at the Ravenclaw. "She's a very smart girl."

"As long as she agrees with you, I wager," Harry returned easily.

"Well, everyone is entitled to a lapse in judgement every now and again," his magical sister replied, chuckling.

Bantering easily back and forth, they soon reached the entrance to the Ravenclaw Common Room. "I guess I will see you for dinner," Harry said, kissing his girlfriend on the lips.

"Unless the warbingers kidnap me," the Ravenclaw said with a tiny smile and a twinkle in her eyes. He pecked her lips again.

"In that case, I will be cursing first, second, and third, and try and pose my questions to a bunch of corpses," he answered.

It seemed as if Luna was going to say something, but then reconsidered. "In that case, make sure you bring plenty of backup. Warbingers can be quite lethal if provoked."

He grinned, gave her one last kiss, and nodded. "Of course."

She smiled, and skipped merrily up the stairs to the Ravenclaw entrance.

"My diabetes!" Maya crowed. "Saccharine overload! I need my insulin!"

Harry slapped her shoulder. "Be nice, Sis."

"I _am_ nice, Bro. I could have made some lewd remarks pertaining to rooms, and various kinds of anti-conception potions."

Harry shot his sister a dirty look. She grinned back, unrepentantly. "Sometimes, I don't doubt why some people hate their siblings," he declared flatly.

"Because those siblings aren't as cute and loveable as I am?" Maya wondered, causing Harry to lose his scowl and break into a snigger.

_You know, Sis, it's nice to be able to do this again,_ he sent through their link as they both laughed together. _I really though I'd lost you and Sensei both._

Maya calmed herself, and looked at Harry. _You can be such a girl sometimes, Harry,_ the Japanese witch chuckled.

Harry snorted. _Better to act like a girl than _be _a girl,_ he replied.

Maya mock-growled. "Why you little...." she reached out to grab him, as if wanting to choke the life out of him; He laughed, and darted away, instigating another game of tag, only indoors and without any magically enhanced steps.

Five minutes later, both teens were laughing as they stopped their grappling right in front of the Fat Lady. "I wonder if Hermione will finally give me back my MC?" Maya pouted as Harry said the password to grant them entrance.

Harry merely shrugged as they crossed the threshold. He stopped immediately, Maya almost bumping into him. Before she could ask what the big idea was, she stopped and stared as well.

Hermione stood, in a corner of the Common Room, facing, what for all intents and purposes, appeared to be a giant game of _Pong_. Her wand flashed up, causing her virtual paddle to bounce up and smash the little simulated ball back. The game retaliated impressively, countering the move flawlessly, and Hermione let out a little startled grunt as she was forced to react with impressive speed to the fast little ball.

"Eh... Hermione?" Harry asked, walking up to his classmate.

"Pause!" the witch snapped out, and the game froze instantly. Superimposed over the mid-air image were the words, _Game Paused by Player one. Pauses remaining; 2._

"Harry! Maya!" the girl said, smiling wider than they had ever seen her smile. "I made a breakthrough this afternoon-" her voice cut off when a new voice sounded from the game.

"Hermione-san? Why did you pause the game?"

"Ayumi-chan?" Maya asked.

"Maya-chan!" Ayumi replied, sounding happy to hear about her friend. "Hermione-san and I have managed to make a breakthrough!"

Hermione nodded. "I was just about to tell them, Ayumi-san." She turned to look at Harry and Maya, ignoring the rest of the Gryffindors. "You see, the MC can transmit voice, and text, so I thought, why shouldn't it transmit other kinds of singals? And then I recalled how mug... non-magicals have something called a modem, which can piggyback data-signals on voice-signals. So I constructed something similar for the MC, with a lot of Ayumi-san's help, and now the MCs can do things like _this_, for instance."

Harry nodded. "All right, I am spooked because I actually understood all that... but Hermione... _PONG_ ?"

Hermione blushed. "We wanted to try it out, and this was the easiest and fastest thing I could come up with."

"So... how does it work?" Maya asked, looking interestedly at the little device connected to her MC. "In plain Japanese please."

Hermione made a face. "Very funny."

"I guess English will do," Maya said with a cheeky grin.

The English witch huffed. "One day, I'm going to learn Japanese," she muttered under her breath. She turned to her construction. "Like I said, I got the idea from the non-magicals and what they call the Internet, which is a network that connects a lot of computers together. Basically, I modified that idea to work with the MCs. These six runes here give this device, and by extension, the MC, a unique address, which allows us to make sure that the transmission goes to the correct MC."

"We had to use that workaround, because Hermione-san couldn't figure out the identification runes Sensei constructed for the original MCs," Ayumi said over the link.

"Yes, yes," Hermione huffed. "I didn't have the years worth of background to understand the construction." She crossed her arms across her chest. "But at least I managed to find a way around it."

"So... what else does it do?" Harry asked. "Because that's still... Pong."

"Anything we want," Hermione said, smiling broadly. "And now I actually know enough to build my own MCs. Well, they won't be MCs, strictly speaking, but they'll be close enough so they can work with the originals. And we can do with it whatever we want, just like the non-magicals use the internet. The MCs have a keyboard, and a screen, and now they can exchange data."

Maya nodded, then glanced at Hermione, and grinned. "So fifty percent will be utter trash, and the other fifty percent will be porn?"

Harry grinned widely at the sight of someone _else_ being Maya's target.

**End of Chapter**


	10. Snape

**Mahou** **mo Ken**

All rights to Harry Potter and its world, characters, and settings belong to JK Rowling. I don't own any of its characters, and I am not making any money off this.

Author's note – as I am unable to find a schedule for Year Six of the Harry Potter books, I made use of the daily course schedule of book five, found at the HP Lexicon. Thanks, guys!

**Chapter ten – Snape**

"Missed you," Harry said as he dropped an arm around Luna's shoulders. The blonde looked up at him, seemed to start saying something, before reconsidering and smiling softly up at him.

"Missed you too," she replied, leaning in to capture his lips.

"You only saw her half an hour ago!" Maya said, once their brief kiss ended. "You two really _are_ sappy."

Harry shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I still missed her."

Luna said nothing and leaned closer against him, drawing his arm tighter around her.

Maya shook her head, and gave him an obviously tolerant smile. "That's almost as bad a line as that one you used about picking up girls in the Great Hall."

Luna smiled wider, and looked up at Harry. "You still need to prove you can pick up girls in the hallways," she reminded Harry. Hermione made to swipe at Maya while Ron groaned.

"Just just _had_ to give them ammunition, didn't you?" he complained to the Japanese girl, who cringed under the scathing glare from Ginny and the look of obviously tolerant suffering coming from Neville. Harry, meanwhile, ignored his friends, and picked Luna up without any apparent effort. Knowing what was to come, she let herself fall into his hold without resistance, and without the squeak that had accompanied the last time.

Carrying her across the Great Hall was a great deal more interesting than carrying her down five floors and across the castle, but Harry wasn't about to admit defeat. Especially as he looked down, and realized the rather pleasant way his movements translated into Luna's body.

"Harry?"

"Hm?" Harry looked up distractedly to Hermione, right in time to avoid bumping into a wall. Taking a quarter turn, he rounded the corner, and glared at her.

"Don't look at me like that. If I hadn't said anything, you'd have hit that wall," she defended herself.

Luna smiled serenely. "Don't smile like that, Luna," Hermione pressed on. "You would have hit that wall along with him! Besides, he was ogling you. If it hadn't been for you, I'd have let him hit that wall!"

The blonde's smile didn't drop. "I don't mind," she replied, and looked up at Harry, her face suddenly receiving a hint of shyness. He smiled faintly, his expression at once a mixture of apology and reassurance, answering her unasked question with an unstated reply, assuring her that yes, she was physically attractive, and that he was sorry for staring rather rudely.

The shyness dropped her her face, and her smile returned fully as she leaned against him, absolving him from any blame.

Five flights of stairs later, Harry was definitely feeling the strain in his arms. Luna lifted her head from his shoulder, and looked at him. Rather than asking, she looked into his eyes.

He smiled tightly. "This is going to be good for my physique, if I keep carrying you everywhere," he replied to her look.

"Your girlfriend got two broken legs, Potter?" Malfoy asked, pulling up to the group, Tracey and Daphne right behind him.

Harry started to shrug, but his shoulders soon told him that wasn't such a good idea, so he settled for sending a scathing look in the blond boy's direction. "You're just jealous that I have someone _to_ carry around, Malfoy."

Malfoy smirked. "Right. I'm jealous because you have a girlfriend who's got two broken legs, and can't get Madam Pomfrey to fix them."

Luna laughed slightly, before reaching out. Harry obediently walked closer, and she patted his shoulder gently. "That's all right, Draco. I'm sure one day you will find someone, too."

Malfoy lifted an eyebrow as Luna retracted her arm, and Harry stepped back to his former distance. They had almost reached the Great Hall. "Where do you two get the ridiculous notion that I would be jealous?" he demanded.

"Because you can't help but make comments about my girlfriend?" Harry asked in reply. "Besides, with all your comments about her legs, which are very nice and not at all damaged by the way, I would be forced to think you are a leg-man."

Malfoy sputtered.

"He's got you there, Draco," Daphne said with a faint giggle. "Good morning, Harry, Luna. Any day you feel like insulting Draco, please don't hesitate."

The Gryffindors stared in quiet astonishment as Harry bantered back and forth not just with Daphne and Tracey, whom they had gotten used to after his latest stint in hospital, but now, Draco Malfoy as well.

The rest of the day was filled with nothing more than classes, meals, friends, and Luna. Finally allowing himself to relax now that only Voldemort was still an issue, Harry came back down to Earth rather rudely that evening.

"Please sit down," Ken said, indicating a spot on the tatami that was the floor of the living room of the small residence she had created. Her voice, however, indicated that it was anything _but_ a request, despite her choice of words. Harry obediently sat down, cross-legged. Without being told to, Maya sat down next to him.

"Today, we are going to focus on an area that we have overlooked for quite a while, as we have focused almost exclusively on your repertoire of spells and abilities, as well as your ability to control your magic," Ken said, as she sat down to face her two apprentices. "Today, we're going to focus on your ability to tap into Ley Lines."

Harry swallowed. "Hermione hasn't made much progress on the book we found," he said. "So all I've been doing is try and tap a line, and try not to get blown up."

Ken nodded. "Good, you've been practising. I hope you haven't actually done anything with that power yet?"

Harry shook his head. "Just holding it... I can't really explain it, Sensei."

Ken was silent for a few moments, thinking things over. "Very well," she finally said. "Please go to your mindscape, and Maya and I shall join you. We might be able to assist you."

Harry closed his eyes, and after three breaths, found himself in his mindscape. The process had become second nature to him now. Maya appeared next to him instantaneously. He allowed Ken passage through his shield when he felt her knock.

A little unsure of himself, he looked at his two visitors. "Whenever you are ready, Harry," Ken told him.

Harry nodded, and closed his eyes, reaching out to the Ley Lines he could feel humming at the edge of his subconscious. He touched the one running directly underneath, one of the three that crossed beneath the Great Hall, powering the great wards of Hogwarts.

The power lashed out at him as he touched it, immediately washing away whatever fatigue he had been feeling, and filling him with a sense of power. He reopened his mental eyes, and almost stumbled. He had never tapped a Line from within his mindscape, and hadn't really thought how it would affect him. His mindscape's Hogwarts was practically vibrating, oozing magic from the representation's stones. Similarly, the grass and the flowers were now glowing with health, and the very air itself was thick with the magic of it all.

"Damn," Maya muttered. "If only you could see yourself now."

Harry focused his eyes on his magical sister. "I know," he said.

"As impressive as this looks, we are here to work," Ken said, bringing the two teens back to reality. "Harry, we are here to catch you should something go wrong. Please cast a low-powered spell. We want to see what happens."

Harry nodded. This was why they had waited until now, he needed to be able to control his magic before doing things like this. There was a time he couldn't really control his magic, let alone his spells, to this extent. Drawing his staff, he pointed it at the Whomping Willow, the tree splaying its branches, as if reading Harry's intentions and determined to make a sport out of it. "Stupefy."

The stunner's usual red glow was a bright red glare as the spell flashed to the tree, and splashed over it. The branches wavered slightly, before waving at him, as if taunting him for failing to stun the tree.

"Your control was atrocious," Ken said. "You over-powered the spell, making it hard to control, and causing it to lose most of its potential power in that bright red light and fancy sound effects. Try something stronger, perhaps you won't overload a stronger spell."

Harry nodded. "Kuzuryusen." Nine flashes of azure energy flashed to the tree, four of which missed it completely, two falling short, and only three out of the nine striking it, reducing it to unevenly matched chopsticks.

"Again, you overloaded the spell," Ken said. "How do you feel? You are expending a lot of energy in those attacks."

Harry was practically bouncing on his feet. "Incredible. Powerful. I don't even feel the spells."

Ken frowned slightly. "I think you must be charging your spells directly off the Line, or the Line is recharging your magic so fast you can not feel it drain."

"I think it's option two," Harry said. "When I'm exhausted, and I tap a line, it recharges me, and I feel like I don't need sleep anymore. When I drop the Line, my magic's perfectly fine. Of course, that is when my body makes sure I know that _it_ is still tired." He looked at the Whomping Willow, which had rebuilt itself by now. "I don't dare tap into the Lines every night. I'm scared I'll get addicted to this rush."

"Good thinking," Maya said. "besides, it doesn't do you much good, if you overload your spells like this."

"I'll need to work harder on my control," Harry replied to her.

Ken dipped her head. "That we must." She smiled faintly, and Harry felt chills race down his spine. "We'll drill your magical control in a similar fashion to when we first started out. Stop your connection to the Ley Line, and start playing some Spellis."

Harry dropped the connection to the Line, and faced Maya, who had drawn up a Spellis court with remarkable ease. He winced slightly when Maya brought a bludgeoning Hex into play for him to return. If he got hit with that...

It was a long night.

The next morning, much to his surprise, Luna decided to join Harry in his morning exercises, Ken hardly batting an eyelash, and starting Luna on a mild exercise routine to get her body used to physical exertions. Going through his own exercises, Harry kept an eye out for his girlfriend, and decided that the DA could also benefit from some added physical exercise.

Having Luna join them made them later than usual, and so Harry, Luna, and Maya didn't run into anyone else of the group as they hurried down to breakfast after grabbing a shower and a change of clothes.

Right before they reached the Great Hall, Harry threw a mischievous look in Luna's direction.

The blonde looked back with an angelic expression of innocence that was unrivalled. Grinning, Harry threw his staff to Maya and scooped up his girlfriend, without as much as breaking stride.

"I think I'll need to tell Sensei," Maya mused. "You have way too much energy after a training session."

Harry just chuckled as Maya pushed the doors open, allowing Harry to enter without putting down his precious burden. Throwing an arm around Harry, Luna sat up straight in his arms, as if being carried around was the least someone could do for her, and kept her face in a carefully schooled look of casual indifference, as if the stares and chuckles mattered not to her. Which, of course, they didn't.

Harry merely kept his gaze focused on Luna, where he put his feet, and his target at the Gryffindor table.

In that order.

After sitting down, with Maya at his side and Luna in his lap, Harry looked at his friends. Neville was shaking his head, laughing quietly to himself. Ginny was downright laughing, while Ron had decided that his breakfast was more important than whatever Harry was up to now. He'd seen Luna being carried around a few times now, and after two times, he'd about seen it. Hermione had her fists in her side, and was glaring at Harry.

"Harry James-"

"Hermione Jean Granger," Harry interrupted, stunning the girl into silence, not having expected that retort. He grinned at her while Luna gathered breakfast. He obediently opened his mouth when a fork entered his vision. "Thanks, Love."

"You're welcome, Harry," Luna said serenely.

"Harry, don't you think you've carried Luna around enough?" Hermione finally asked, on a more subdued tone.

"Nope," Harry replied immediately. "Me man. Carry girl. Feel strong," he said in his best 'caveman' impersonation. Hermione sighed.

"Besides, she joined me, Maya, and Sensei for a workout this morning. The training is good for her, and carrying her around is good for me. Win-win, right?"

Hermione huffed, before crossing her arms across her chest and giving Harry a mock-stern glare. "I guess."

"Thankee kindly, Lady," Harry said, recognising the teasing in his first female friend. He then turned to Luna, and accepted the next fork full of food she was holding out for him.

00000

That evening, at the DA meeting, Harry once again led the group in meditation. He threw a worried glance at Luna. She had been rather subdued that evening, had sat next to him, and hadn't responded to his glanced offer of carrying her.

As such, he had made one modification to the regular meditation exercise, and asked her to sit in front of him, facing him. Silently, he asked her permission. There was barely a moment's hesitation before she gave it, and he took her hands in his own, closed his eyes, and materialized in his mindscape.

His shields accepted her at his urge, and Luna's mental image slowly appeared next to his own.

"Welcome to my humble mind," Harry said with a small smile.

She returned his smile, and unabashedly looked around. He, in turn, stared unabashedly at her.

Rather than being dressed in Hogwarts robes, the way he was, her mental image was dressed in a long, flowing, white robe the kind he had once seen in History of Magic books, belonging to ancient druids. Her hair shone in the light of the mental sun, and a small circlet made of braided wild flowers rested on top of her head.

To him, Luna looked like an ancient priestess.

"Like what you see?" she finally asked with a small hint of both teasing and nervousness. Despite their talks, Luna still had that insecurity to her, and Harry blinked.

"Sorry, didn't mean to stare," he said with a small flush. "But yes, I like what I see."

The nervousness disappeared and her smile grew slightly larger. "Want to tell me what happened?" Harry finally asked.

The smile dropped, and Luna turned to look at the lake. "It's nothing, Harry."

He turned to match her, and placed one hand on her shoulder. He felt her tense before relaxing as he did so, and it made him frown. "I don't think it's nothing, Luna." He faced her, and gently let his arms slip around her, not wanting to either startle or hurt her. He didn't know why she'd tensed at his earlier contact, but he had no intention of doing it again. "Please, tell me?"

She sighed. "I had Defence this afternoon."

Harry tensed. "What happened?" he managed to say, unaware that his mindscape had darkened, and that a chilly wind had risen.

"We were discussing pain curses," Luna said, hugging him back, burying her face in his shoulder "I was asked to demonstrate how to defend against them."

Images of last year flashed through Harry's mind, the voice snapping out to _clear your mind_, right before a brutal attack was launched. If Defence was taught the same way... "Luna, did he at least explain how to-"

"No," she whispered.

He hugged her closer. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he whispered in her ear. "The bastard did it to get to me. If you'd rather-"

Again, she interrupted him. This time, by planting her lips firmly on his. "Never. If you can stand against curses and hexes, I can stand against some pain curses. Besides, they were nothing compared to the Cruciatus."

"That doesn't make it right," Harry muttered. He kissed her, gently. "Does it still hurt?"

She shook her head. "I'm just tender. Hold me a little longer?"

He did just that; ending the meditation exercise fifteen minutes later than usual because of it. If anybody noticed, nobody commented. Especially after the dark look that Harry suddenly developed, or the look of worry he sometimes threw in Luna's direction.

How he managed the DA meeting, he would never know. In fact, he couldn't even say what they had worked on. As soon as the session was over, he stormed out.

Halfway down to the ground floor, Ron and Hermione flanked him, Maya walked behind them.

"Care to tell us why you tore out of there like a bat out of Hell, mate?" Ron asked, as Ginny and Neville finally caught up. Luna was heard, before joining them as well.

Harry glanced at Luna. "Luna had Defence this afternoon," was all the explanation he gave.

"We're discussing pain curses," Luna furthered the explanation. "It was a tad painful, however, Harry seems to want to have a discussion with the professor himself."

Run, Hermione, Neville, and Ginny turned pale, while Maya merely looked at murderous as Harry felt.

By now, they had reached the ground floor, and turned to the staircase to the dungeons. "No way are you dealing with him yourself, mate," Ron declared.

"That's right," Ginny said. "I'll Bat-Bogey him so bad his grand-children will still be trying to get rid of them all."

"Ew," Neville muttered. "Imagine Snape finding someone to have children with."

The others shuddered. "Gee, thanks, Neville," Harry muttered. "As if the greasy git hadn't scarred me enough."

"Happy to help," Neville said with a cheerful grin, twirling his wand in his right hand. The look in his eyes closely reflected a certain look from the Department of Mysteries.

"He's a professor, Harry," Hermione interjected.

"He hurt one of us," Neville said. "Doesn't matter if he were the King of England."

"What I mean is, he can probably _take_ all of us. He's good with the Dark Arts, and doesn't seem to be too scared of using them."

Maya flipped open her MC, and sent out a quick message. "He'd better not. Sensei will destroy him if he does," the Japanese witch stated calmly. "Or rather, she'll destroy what's left of him after we're through with him."

Harry lifted his staff, an knocked it against the door leading to Snape's chambers. The knocks sounded and resounded through the door and the surrounding stone, actually making the floor vibrate.

"Ah, Potter. I was expecting you, your majesty," the former Potions Master declared. To Harry's surprise, the greasy-haired man grabbed him, and shoved him inside roughly. "You can stay outside," he declared to the others before they could lift hand or wand, and smashed the door closed.

"Have a drink, Potter," Snape sniped, motioning for a glass on the coffee table.

"No, thank you," Harry said, somewhat politely. This wasn't how he had expected this to go!

"Drink, Potter!" the man snapped.

"I don't think so," Harry replied, glad they were on more familiar grounds now. "It's probably full of Veritaserum."

The man's sallow face revealed a deep-seated anger. Before Harry could react, the man turned to face him. "Then we'll have your secrets the hard way!" a wand appeared out of his robes, drawn faster than Harry had thought possible, and _that_ spell echoed through the air.

"_Legilimens!"_

Immediately, Harry's head felt like it was about to explode as he was violently catapulted directly into the Headmaster's Office in his mental representation of Hogwarts. The walls turned transparent the same moment his hand smashed down on the Big Red Switch, activating his entire arsenal of mental defences against the intrusion.

Around him, he could see the grass disappearing as his mental cannons were brought out to play, bright and violent energy lashing out at the intruder.

Within his mind, all Harry could see was a formless, shapeless cloud of blackened energy, the flashing mental energy of his cannons disappearing into it with little or no feedback whether he was hitting something or not.

Cursing, all Harry could do was scramble to get as much of his memories inside his secondary barriers, trying to protect them from Snape's intrusion while his offences were whittled away one by one as the Snape-cloud lashed out and destroyed them.

His head pounding with the stress of trying to contain half a lifetime's worth of memories behind core-shielding designed to hold only a core personality, he could do nothing but stare, and hope that, somehow, he'd make it through this.

Only now did he realize just how good the man was, just how powerful he would have to be in the mental arts to keep out repeated attacks by Voldemort, and just how lacking his protection was.

"Valiant effort, potter," Snape declared, his creepy voice resounding through the mindscape when the last of the cannons fell. "Too bad for you it just wasn't enough. Your own arrogance will cost you dearly."

"_You_ attacked _me_," Harry shouted back. "_You_ will be the one in trouble!"

Snape actually laughed, while the outer walls of Harry's mental Hogwarts started to fail. "And yet there will be plenty of witnesses who saw you come down to my chambers, angered over my treatment of your little blonde _friend_."

Harry's lips curled back. "You bastard!"

"In fact, I think I will enjoy _teaching_ her after your mind is nothing more but the goo I always saw it was!" Snape said when the outer wall fell away completely, the shapeless cloud finally turning into a representation of the man. He looked somewhat tired, breathing deeply, with only a few shallow cuts to show for all the effort Harry had put into his attacks.

Harry was furious, virtually trembling on his mental legs, both with physical exhaustion and pure fury as he stared at the hated professor through the semi-transparent barriers of his core shields.

"Impressive shielding," Snape said, probably the first real compliment Harry had ever received from the man. "But not good enough, Potter!"

Harry screamed when energy lashed at his shields, tightening into a single beam, burning away at a single point of his shields, overloading even the drainage Harry had built into them. He looked at the last remaining wall, and lifted his hand off the Big Red Switch.

"If I'm going, I'm taking you with me, asshole," Harry snapped, smashing his fist through the cover over an old-fashioned high-voltage switch. Grabbing hold of the handle with both hands, he pulled, his eyes involuntarily reading what his mind had written on the warning sign above.

_Mental-Magic override bridge – Do Not Pull!_

As the huge switch groaned, Harry felt the resistance of his own magic. It took three long seconds to pull the switch into its closed position.

The moment it made contact, Harry felt all conscious control over his magic and his mental abilities vanish. The override bridge worked as it was intended to, and tied his emotions into his magic, and tied the resulting mess directly into his mental abilities.

Harry had no time to scream as a bright flash burned through his mindscape.

00000

"Dammit!" Maya snapped as she brandished her staff at the door.

"Don't!" Hermione shouted. "The teacher's quarters are tied into the Hogwarts wards! You don't want to be on the wrong side of those. Trust me!"

"He's kidnapped Harry!" Maya snapped back. The next moment, she felt his confusion at being offered a drink, before feeling the paranoia about Veritaserum. She was about to think back a _good_ to her brother, when she felt the Legillimens attack, and pain exploded through her mind when the man attacked.

Her automatic shields immediately cut the backlash through the link, and she merely staggered, clutching her head and dropping her staff.

"Maya?"

"Attack," she whispered, grabbing her MC. "Sensei, now. Pick up. Pick up. PICK UP, DAMMIT..."

"Maya?"

"Sensei, Snape mentally attacked Harry. Request use of Killing Curse to override door lock wards."

"How long does he have?"

"Not long," Maya replied. "Sensei?"

"Request granted. I'll come ASAP."

Maya lifted her staff. The next moment, regardless of autonomous shields, she felt the magical-mental detonation shear right through her protections. Her mouth opened into a silent scream, the world blurring and fading to her senses, driving her to her knees before she even knew what was happening. The world kept dimming, and she was sure she would lose all consciousness before she was able to reassert control over her faculties, and brought up some shields that somehow prevented her from completely blacking out.

She returned to full wakefulness to snapping fingers. She followed the fingers to a wrist, arm, shoulder, up to Ken's face. "Maya?" her Sensei asked, worry evident in her voice.

"Harry..." Maya croaked, wrestling herself to her legs. "He did something."

At that moment, Maya realized that Ken had brought Dumbledore. The old man didn't look too good, and Maya did not debate what methods Ken had used to get the man here as soon as she did. The ageing Headmaster held the override to the quarters, and employed said override immediately upon noticing there was no reply from inside.

The door opened to a scene of war, Harry seated against one wall, head tilted up in a silent scream to the heavens, the furniture reduced to nothing but kindling and dust, the Potions-slash-Defence Professor crumbled against the far wall, eyes staring unseen at the boy.

"Harry?" Dumbledore asked, about to step in. As he did so, the energy in the room singed his clothing, and the man withdrew with a startled look.

"His magic's tied into his mental abilities," Maya replied to the incredulous look. "In other words, his mind wants to defend itself without conscious control, and is using Harry's magic to supplement what it can't do by itself." She calmly waked inside, the energy flashing around her, yet not striking her. "He shall not harm me."

Luna was about to reach out when her hand was grabbed by Hermione. "Do you really want to run the risk, Luna?"

The little blonde Ravenclaw stared at Hermione with a fully lucid expression that was patently out of place on Luna's face. "Once again, he got hurt because of me. He only came here because that bastard attacked me. I owe this to him." She snapped her hand free of Hermione's grip, and drew a breath before bravely stepping forward.

Again, the energy lashed out, halting mere centimeters before her, flashing around her, and for a moment, it looked as if it formed a bright golden shield around her. She stepped forward, and knelt down next to Maya.

"Come on, little brother, you need to snap out of this," Maya whispered urgently. "We can't help you like this!"

Luna placed one hand on Harry shoulder. "He'll destroy himself like this," she said. "He'll exhaust his magic."

"Snape must've been on the verge of winning," Maya muttered. "And this was his last resort – mutually assured destruction."

"Mad, indeed," Luna muttered. "Come on, Harry. You can't leave me alone like this." The energy seemed to stop its wreathing for a moment, as if debating something. Calmly, the blonde Ravenclaw reached out. "Come back to me, Harry. Please." Placing her lips on his open mouth, she kissed him.

The energy fell away, and Harry slumped in her embrace.

00000

"What's happened?" Tracey asked, falling into step without question, Daphne automatically taking the other flanking position, and Draco bringing up the rear.

"Snape attacked Harry," Hermione replied coldly. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Tracey shrugged. "You don't think that we wouldn't know if a bunch of Gryffindors – and one Ravenclaw – came into the dungeons?"

"True enough," Hermione muttered.

"How bad is it?" Daphne asked from the other side of the group, shooting a rather worried glance at Harry, floating in Ken's suspension field, Luna holding on to his hand for dear life.

"We don't know yet," Ken replied testily. "It will take a few hours before my Apprentice will have a chance to start communicating mentally." The Japanese magic-user shot a venomous glance in Dumbledore's direction. "If that man survives, I want his head."

Dumbledore looked at Snape, floating under Dumbledore's power.

"I don't think that will be an issue, Ken-sama," the man said, still trying to do his best to calm her down. "From what I can see and determine, Severus' mind … _isn't_."

"Good," Maya snapped. "Bastard tried to rape my brother. He got what he deserved."

The look on the faces of the three Slytherins could only be described as murderous.

Finally, they arrived in the Hospital Wing, Madam Pomfrey immediately sequestering Harry into his usual bed. "I'll let everybody know when he regains consciousness," the matron stated, her voice not broking any argument.

"Excuse me, Madam Pomfrey," Luna said, quietly, when the matron started to usher everybody out. "I believe my Cruciatus exposure is acting up again. I think I should stay here for the night."

"That was quite a while ago," Pomfrey said. "I may have been willing to extend you one night, but I can't justify letting you stay when you're all right."

"Snape used various pain curses on me during Defence class. It was how he got Harry angry enough to come to him," the blonde said, quietly. She swallowed, and her shoulders dropped as she stared sadly at the ground. "Again, he got hurt because of me."

Pomfrey shot a look that bode only death and destruction to the Headmaster. "I have warned you time and time again," the nurse stated angrily to Dumbledore, before starting to scan Luna. "I see, child. A good night's sleep, and you'll be good as new."

Luna looked up, determination filling her features as she drew her wand, and aimed it at her hand. "I'd suggest a bludgeoning curse to the abdomen," Tracey said. "It'll hurt like nobody's business, but if you cast it at minimal strength, there won't be permanent damage."

"I'd kindly ask you not to give anybody ideas," Pomfrey snapped at the Slytherin, who shrugged unrepentantly. At the same time, the nurse's hand shot out, and restrained Luna's wand hand, now starting to aim at her stomach. "I'll keep you here for observation this night," she went on, gently. "However, tomorrow, you will be going to class."

Maya placed a hand on Luna's dropping shoulders. "I'll be here during the day," she said to the Ravenclaw. Luna looked up at Maya. "And I'll be with him at night."

The nurse sighed, and nodded. "I'll let you stay the night," she finally said. "But this is a Hospital Wing, so there will _not_ be any monkey business, am I clear?"

"Yes, Madam Pomfrey," Luna whispered, before looking up. "Thank you."

00000

Maya jumped at the chance the moment she felt Harry's mind bring itself to a high enough level of function to reconnect their link. Materializing somewhere else, she blinked, not expecting the sight in front of her.

All around her, a dark grey mist permeated the air, robbing her of her sight, and dampening her sense of smell with its acrid nature. Even though the mist was moving, she could feel no wind to drive it. It was of a unique nature, the likes of which she could not explain.

"Harry?"

The mist seemed to pause, and for a moment, Maya had the uncomfortable sensation of being evaluated – unfortunately she did not know on which points said evaluation was taking place. Finally, the mist cleared a path, and for the first time Maya could see below her own midriff, the dark, burnt-to-a-crisp ground materializing from the fog beneath her feet.

Getting the point, she followed the clear path, to arrive not long after in a large crater, in the centre of which lay Harry's mental representation, burnt, bloodied, and naked – save for a few scraps of clothing to protect his modesty.

"Come on, Little Brother, don't give up," she muttered, kneeling down and pulling Harry to her. Closing her eyes, she willed her own energy to enter him.

His eyes blinked slowly, as if they had trouble focusing on their surroundings. "You're safe now, Harry. Come on, accept some energy from me."

He muttered nonsense-words as she blinked up at her, before a slight drain started to manifest itself to her. That slight drain soon became a raging torrent as Harry's depleted mind latched onto a source of nourishment.

Harry's clothes rebuilt themselves, and Maya let him drain her as far as she dared before wrenching the torrent off. Panting and hurting, she held him in trembling arms. "Harry?"

"Maya," he muttered. Slowly, he shifted to sight upright under his own power. "Thank you."

She nodded. "You're... welcome," she panted.

"It hurts," he stated. Maya snorted.

"Of course it hurts, you bloody idiot," she retorted. "There's a reason _why_ you shouldn't pull that switch."

"It was either pull the switch and take the bastard with me, or let him rape my mind, destroy whatever he wanted, and let him rampage all over Luna," Harry protested.

"Well, you took him with you," Maya replied. "His mind's... gone."

Harry drew a deep breath, honestly not knowing how he felt about that.

"Now, what's this mist?" Maya asked, deciding to get away from uncomfortable subjects. She could feel his mind rebuilding, now that she had jump-started him. Unfortunately, whatever it was rebuilding was hidden by the mist.

Harry looked at it, as if seeing ti for the first time. "Snape destroyed everything," he finally said. "This is what's left. Every turret, every stone, every blade of grass."

"Damn," Maya muttered. "He really wasn't going to leave anything, was he?"

Harry just shook his head.

"Get some rest, Little Brother," Maya said, standing up. "Oh, before I forget, you have a very determined girlfriend. She threatened to hex herself if Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let her stay in the Hospital Wing. Tracey helped – she was telling your girl which spells she could use to hex herself."

"Oh, Luna," Harry muttered.

"Pomfrey relented before she did it, though," Maya reassured Harry.

"She must feel so guilty," Harry went on, as if he didn't hear her. He nodded. "I should try and rest for a few hours, then try and wake up. I should reassure her."

"She'll still be around tomorrow, Harry. Recovery first, girlfriend second."

Harry looked at his sister. "Easy for you to say, Sis. You don't have a boyfriend."

Maya shrugged, before placing a hand on his shoulder. "Rest up, Harry."

He nodded. "I will. Thanks, Sis."

She smiled slightly. "You're welcome, Bro. Sleep tight."

Harry nodded to the empty air that used to hold Maya, before looking at the mist. "I think I'll leave you," he muttered, before closing his eyes, and letting himself drop into unconsciousness. Blackness took him, and he knew no more.

It was several hours later that his thoughts were his own once more, and consciousness seeped back into his battered mind and body.

He was vaguely aware of a dull moaning sound escaping his lips as he opened his eyes, trying desperately to focus on his surroundings. His entire body felt stiff and sore, while his eyes felt like they were encased in sand-paper, a dull grating pain flashing through his head every time he tried to move them – or even blink, for that matter.

He grit his teeth to keep from moaning as he slowly looked around, trying to figure out where his glasses were.

"Harry?" a sleepy voice asked, while a humanoid-shaped blob with yellow-golden hair detached itself from a bed-like blob.

"Hey, Luna," he whispered, his voice raw and his throat hurting from the exertion.

"I was worried that Wrackspurts might have gotten you," the blonde whispered, sitting down on his bed. Harry remembered that mythical creature from his earlier stay in the Hospital wing.

"I'm tougher... than I look," he muttered, managing a weak smile in her direction. "Although my brain does feel fuzzy."

Luna was silent for a few seconds, before leaning down, and drawing him into a hug. "Don't ever do that again," she whispered.

"Do what again?" he asked, groaning slightly while as he lifted his arms to hug her back.

"Get hurt on my account," she said. "This is the second time you got hurt because of me. Please don't do it again. I'm not-"

"If you are going to say you're not worth it, forget it," Harry managed to say, even half-way managing to sound vaguely angry with his barely functioning throat. "How do you think I would feel if you got hurt because of me, and not do anything about it?" He finally managed to make a grab for his glasses, yet missed horribly.

Luna made a small apologetic noise, and within seconds, he had his vision restored. He looked at her, the relief on her face, the unshed tears in her eyes, down to those cute Snorkack pyjamas that were so very Luna. "I'm sorry I made you worry," he finally said.

She sighed, and gently lifted him upright before bringing a glass of water to his lips. Once more, he leaned against her, feeling her warmth seep into his body. "I was just so worried," she admitted.

Harry drank calmly from the fresh water, hissing with relief as it cooled his throat. "Sorry to make you worry."

She shook her head, making waist-length blonde hair flying. "I should be the one who's sorry."

He leaned more against her, letting her take the rest of the strain, unable to assist in keeping himself upright anymore. Again, he was struck by how warm and soft she was, and how right it felt to be here, like this, with her. "You've got nothing to be sorry for," he whispered.

"But I-"

"You are precious to me," he whispered, interrupting her. "I care a lot for you," he finally admitted. "I don't want you to get hurt because of me." He swallowed. "And then he... he... tried to..."

She shifted, hugging him closer, and for a moment, Harry's mind went away from what had happened to the softness of certain parts of her body that were now pressed against him. He dropped his head onto her shoulder, and breathed in deeply. Her hug felt more comforting that anything he had ever felt before. A shudder went trough his body when his mind thought back to Snape.

"It's all right, Harry. There's no shame in crying," she whispered.

He buried his face deeper into her shoulder when a second shake went through him.

When his quiet sobbing died down, he merely felt empty. Empty, and warm. He managed to lift his head, and looked deep into her eyes. "Thank you." He swallowed.

She smiled faintly. "Isn't that what a girlfriend does?" she asked, faintly.

He returned her smile, and leaned back against her. "I think I should get some more sleep," he muttered, and felt her lower him back to a lying position. Her lips brushed against his, and he looked up at her. "That's all the good-night kiss I get?" he managed to ask with a faint teasing note in his voice.

"You're already getting better," Luna decided, her faint smile widening as she leaned closer, and kissed him again, this time harder.

He smiled up at her, even though the world went blurry as she folder his glasses onto the night stand. He managed to grab her hand, feeling the warmth from her again after losing it when she broke her contact with him. "Thank you, Luna. You're the best."

He expected her to reassure him, then pull her hand away and go back to bed, and for a moment he wished she wouldn't. To his surprise, her second hand was placed on top of his hand, sandwiching his hand in between both of her smaller hands, before he felt it being lifted. Her lips pressed against his exposed fingers, she whispered to him, "You're welcome, Harry. And..." he felt, rather than heard, her swallow. "Thank you. For looking out for me. Even if..."

"I care," he whispered, halfway to sleep. "Please don't say those things."

His eyes fluttered closed to the remarkable sensation of feeling a girl hold his hand as he drifted off.

00000

The next morning, Madam Pomfrey gently shook Luna awake. "Miss Lovegood?"

Luna lifted her head off the bed, groaning slightly as her back protested from having slept in a chair. "Madam Pomfrey, good morning," she said when her back had finished popping. "Did the Nargles wake you up?"

The nurse smiled faintly at her 'guest'. "Why were you sleeping in a chair?" she asked, rather than reply to the question.

"Harry woke up half through the night. We talked some. I held his hand when he fell asleep, and I couldn't bring myself to let him go," the blonde replied, looking at Harry, whose eyes were now fluttering.

"Morning," he muttered.

"Good morning, Harry," Luna said, a faint smile on her face as she fished for his glasses on the night stand, placing them gently onto Harry's face. "Did you sleep well?"

"I did," he yawned. "but you you look like you didn't."

She shrugged, and gave him a small, reassuring smile. "Don't worry about me, Harry."

Harry didn't look convinced, but he was too tired and hungry to pursue the matter. "If you say so, Luna," he muttered. His stomach rumbled. "I may have slept well, but I could eat a horse."

Madam Pomfrey finished her wand-waving. "Apart from your exhaustion, you seem fine, Mr. Potter. I think I will let you go before supper, keep you under observation for the rest of the day."

Harry nodded; he felt too tired to argue with the nurse – let alone go to class. He looked up as Maya entered, bearing a large basked of fruit.

"Good morning, Little Brother," Maya said with a faint smile, sitting down on Harry's bed, across from Luna. "I nicked you some breakfast."

"You're a life-saver," he declared with absolute conviction, reaching for the blushing pieces of fruit that were just _inviting_ him to eat them.

Maya chuckled as he tore into the food, replenishing the energy required to rebuild his mind. "I should go to class," Luna said, standing up. "I'll be back before you're released, Harry," she promised him.

Harry shoved the rest of a banana through his throat, and smiled up t her. "Thanks, sweetheart."

Luna leaned over, and kissed him." You're welcome, handsome," she whispered in reply, before straightening up. "Mm. Apple and banana. Tasty."

Harry grinned. "I aim to please," he replied, biting into a juicy pear.

For most of the day, Harry was either eating, sleeping, or, every now and then, working for a few minutes in his mindscape with Maya. By the time evening fell, he felt loads better, and was actually quite looking forward to the visit from Luna.

Much to his surprise, Luna wasn't alone, as a lot of the inner-core DA members accompanied her. Ron, Neville, and Ginny were most appreciative for taking care of Snape, while Hermione looked vaguely disapproving, but still expressed her happiness that he was all right.

"Ready to be released, Mr. Potter?" Madam Pomfrey asked, after giving her wand a final flick.

"Most definitely, Madam Pomfrey," Harry said with a faint smile. "But didn't I ask you to call me Harry last time?"

The nurse smiled faintly. "I seem to recall something like that, Harry. However, professional courtesy says that I shouldn't address my patients with their given name."

Harry waved his hand. "Pf. 'Mister Potter' makes me feel like I'm either old, or in trouble."

The nurse actually chuckled slightly. "Very well. Up you get, Harry."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, standing up, surprised at how weak his legs felt, and unable to suppress a wince and a grunt. Luna was at his side immediately, Ron half a second behind her at his other side. "You all right, mate?" Ron asked.

"Sure. It's just that I think I've used a lot more against Snape than I realized before getting out of bed," Harry replied, taking a step forward. "I'll manage."

"Do you trust me, Harry?" Luna asked.

"Of course," he replied immediately, frowning slightly in confusion, not knowing what she had planned now.

"Can I try something, then?" she asked, an impish smile on her face. He shrugged.

"Sure."

Immediately, she took her wand from behind her ear, and waved it around, mumbling some words under her breath. Her spell finished, and a tingling sensation went through him. She put her wand back, and grabbed him.

To his surprise, his feet came off the ground with no visible effort on Luna's part, and not half a second later, he was held in her arms, much the same way in which he would carry her around. "Well, that's a novel sensation," Harry said, realizing he was leaning against a very interesting part of her anatomy.

"I'm not strong enough to carry you, so I cast a feather-light charm," she explained. "And I felt like proving that I could pick up boys, just like you can pick up girls. Are you comfortable?"

He wiggled slightly, and a flush spread on her cheeks. "I know I am," he replied with a grin. "But are you sure you want to keep doing this?"

A twinkle appeared in her eyes. "Just don't wiggle too much, or I might drop you," she warned, and turned to walk out the door. Ron was snickering, while Ginny and Neville had the biggest 'aww – cute' expressions on their faces. Hermione just shook her head in obvious tolerance.

Throwing an arm around Luna's shoulders, Harry let her carry him, rather enjoying the sensation. Now he knew why she enjoyed it so.

More and more students joined the impromptu procession to the Great Hall, the students chattering excitedly. The moment that Luna carried Harry in, a hush descended over the students already present, as they took him in, held aloft in the arms of his girlfriend.

The next moment, cheers and applause sounded from the Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor tables, with some scattered applause from the Slytherin students mixed in for variety. Harry flushed bright red, embarrassed.

Finally, he realized that Luna wasn't going to move unless he did something, so he waved and gave a shy smile. He sighed when Luna lowered him at the Gryffindor table, before reversing the roles and clambering onto his lap.

"Seriously, cheers for getting rid of Snape, mate," Dean said from a few seats down. Harry merely lifted his goblet of orange juice in the other boy's direction, not knowing how to handle the attention. He had nearly killed a man... he should feel worse about this, shouldn't he?

_The man was evil,_ Maya consulted. _Don't worry so much about it._

He looked up at her, seated across from him at the table. _Thanks, Sis._

_Meh,_ she waved his gratitude off. _He attacked you. You should have plastered him on the walls instead of burning his mind._

_Oh... vicious,_ he muttered in her direction, shooting a grateful smile in Luna's direction as she held out some meat for him to bite into.

"You should focus on your meal," his girlfriend suggested. "If you don't eat, the Warbuckles will get you."

He chewed, swallowed, and nodded. With her in his lap, Harry had little choice but to eat what she shoved in front of his nose, but he found that he didn't really mind. He liked having her this close to him. He'd never really felt this way before, never really had someone to be this close to before, and he discovered that he rather enjoyed it.

Dinner was well under-way when the doors to the Great Hall opened, and a dejected looking Dumbledore was followed by a Ken that looked decidedly... smug.

"Sis?"

"I see it," Maya said, looking over her shoulder to the unusual procession. "I've never seen Sensei look so... smug... before."

As Dumbledore proceeded to the Head Table, Ken turned, and angled to where Maya and Harry were seated. "I am glad to see you out of the Hospital Wing, Harry. I hope you are well?"

"Hungry and exhausted, Sensei," Harry replied truthfully. "But, nothing I haven't felt before."

Ken nodded. "I have been in discussion with your Headmaster for most of the day. My apologies for not being able to be at your side in the hospital."

"I'm sure it was important, Sensei," Harry answered.

"It was," Ken said with a nod. "The English Ministry wanted to charge you for what happened with the former defence professor of this school. However, using Maya's testimony and your story from what happened, I was able to convince them it was self-defence."

"Is that why the Headmaster is looking so...." Harry's voice trailed off as he didn't really know how to describe the Headmaster's state of mind.

"Looking as if the cat ate his favourite canary, then went back and drank all his cream as well?" Ken asked with a faint lifted eyebrow. Harry, Maya, and half the Gryffindor table chuckled. The rest of the Great Hall, although silently listening to what Ken was saying didn't really feel courageous enough to laugh at the Headmaster.

"Basically," Ken said with a small nod. "Although I think the fact that his defence teacher's mind has been burned to the ground by you might have something to do with it as well."

Harry nodded. "As Maya explained, the man was pure evil, and I shouldn't feel guilty about a Death Eater being out of the game."

"I am glad to see you taking a pragmatic stance, Harry. Now, if you will excuse me, I think I shall join the Head Table and talk to some of your teachers. We will need to devise a more intensive training schedule for you."

"Thank you, Sensei."

00000

Harry, Maya, and Ken were standing not far from the Great Lake, with Luna and the rest of the core DA members not far away.

"So, Basically, you will be required to take only a few core subjects, Charms and Transfiguration, while the rest of your subjects can be dropped. In their stead, I will be taking over your education during those periods, teaching you swordsmanship, Kidou, Seal Casting, Japanese Magic, and other subjects," Ken explained. "However, this is all on the condition that you agree to the change, of course."

Harry nodded. "I understand, Sensei. But, what about my exams?"

"Good question", Ken replied. "As you would be registered as my full-on Apprentice, you will be taking your Masters Examinations from me. I, and I alone, will decide when you are ready to graduate. When you do, you will do so as a fully accredited Master Mage of the Empire of Japan." She walked around him, and placed one hand on his shoulder. "You will find me fair. However, you will also find me hard to appease, even harder to impress, and it will take you many more years before I will consent to graduating you." She looked over at Maya. "There will be no difference between you and Maya," she said, turning back to Harry.

Harry was silent, digesting the new information and the choice before him. "Does that mean I have to leave Britain?"

"Only if you so chose," Ken answered, resuming her trek around him and walking back to where her staff was still standing, upright, balancing on its tip.

Harry nodded. "Then yes, Sensei, I would really like to take you up on your offer."

Ken dipped her head. "Very well, then it is settled. Let's begin with some swordsmanship lessons. We've been focusing on magic these last few weeks, and I believe it's time for some variety."

Harry nodded eagerly. He had thought a lot about what happened during the battle of Hogsmeade, and was eager to learn more about his sword, and its unique capabilities. "Good," Ken said. "The following exercise won't require a practice sword – it requires the use of your main weapon."

Harry nodded, looking even more eager now. "I want you to draw your sword, and extend it, straight ahead, both hands on the handle and arms stretched out."

Doing as he was told, Harry drew his sword, put both hands on the handle, and extended his arms straight ahead. "Subtract five centimetres from that, and that is your maximum forward kill range. Now, drop your left arm, and extend your blade to your right. Again, subtract five centimetres, and that is your kill range to the right." Getting the hang of this, he shifted the weapon to his left upon her command.

"Now, I want you to become aware of those ranges. Do not step unless you have to, but, do not miss because you missed a step. Become aware of how far you and your blade can extend in order to kill." She grabbed her staff, and jerked it up with a single conjuration word.

An even dozen bamboo pillar shot up from the ground, standing about his own height. "Go through them Harry, cutting them down. Do not bother yourself with speed just yet, but economize your motions. This exercise is about establishing your range for you, rather than build up speed. Take a moment to think if you need it to judge your distance."

Harry nodded, and started the exercise.

All in all, he had done crappy, or so he thought. He'd missed two completely, making him take a second swipe, he had cut three by only half, showing that he'd hit the pillar with the very tip of his sword – a wounding, rather than a killing, strike. The others he'd struck too much to the centre of his sword for his tastes, showing he'd been too close, and risk embedding his sword so deep in his opponent that he wouldn't be able to free it fast enough.

"That was a good first attempt," Ken said, as she fixed the bamboo targets. "Again."

Harry nodded.

The sun was touching the horizon when Ken finally allowed him to stop the training. After the first dozen attempts, she started to shuffle the targets around, after it became obvious that Harry was learning the course, rather than the range of his sword.

By the time she finally let him go, he had to admit that the exercise had been very impressive in its ability to teach him his own body, and the range of his weapon.

After dinner, the entire group retreated to the Gryffindor Common Room, and nobody even batted an eyebrow at Luna joining them. If Harry Potter, not to mention, Hermione Granger, Ron and Ginny Weasley, and Neville Longbottom didn't comment, who were the other Gryffindors to do so? Besides, after Ken and Maya living permanently in the Common Room, the appearance of one Ravenclaw wasn't going to get much of a rise out of the Gryffindors.

Arranging a few couches close to the fire, the entire group spent the rest of the evening talking, about everything and nothing.

00000

The next morning, Harry returned to full consciousness with a painful groan, as pain shot through his neck. He grit his teeth to stifle his groan as he lifted his head, only to realize he had slept upright, seated in the comfortable sofa of the Common Room.

"Good morning, Harry," a melodic voice greeted him from beneath him, and he stifled another groan as he looked down and his stiff neck cracked. It appeared that Luna had also spent the night, comfortably on her back, her head pillowed on his leg.

"Good morning, Luna," he muttered, trying to rub some life back into his neck. He was sure his back wasn't going to be any better, but at least as long as he remained seated, it didn't seem to be bothering him. Yet.

"It looks like your neck has been attacked by Warbuckles during the night," Luna observed as he rubbed painfully along his neck.

"Looks like," Harry muttered. "It's stiff as a board, and hurts like nobody's business."

"Lie down," his girlfriend instructed, and he looked enviously at her as she stood up in a fluid movement that betrayed no discomfort whatsoever. Noticing his look, she shrugged. "I was lying down, quite comfortably, actually. It appears the Warbuckles missed me."

Harry groaned as he lied down on his stomach, his stiff back finally showing that it, too, could make his life hell.

He heard her move, and suddenly, he became aware of a comfortable weight lowering itself onto his backside. He didn't hear the incantation she used, but sure felt the results, as it felt as if a dozen hands were suddenly massaging his stiff neck, shoulders, and back.

And it was a deep-tissue massage, too. Unable to stop himself, he let out a contented groan.

"Should I clear the Common Room, and get you two some privacy?" Hermione asked with a raised eyebrow, obviously just coming downstairs.

"Harry was viciously attacked by Warbuckles during the night," Luna explained. "He shouldn't have slept upright. Now I'm giving him a massage to help him recuperate."

"Why was I sleeping upright in the couch, anyway?" Harry asked from his position.

"You fell asleep around nine, and you looked so peaceful none of us wanted to wake you," Hermione said. By now the others had joined them, retaking the seats that they had occupied last night.

"And Luna?" Harry asked.

"She feigned sleep," Ginny said with a small chuckle.

"I did not!" Luna protested.

"You made a comment about Crumple-Horned Snorkacks half an hour _after_ you were supposedly asleep," Neville said.

"I was sleep-talking, I suppose. It happens sometimes," Luna said, sounding very sincere about it, too.

"I've heard of sleep-walking, but sleep-talking is new," Hermione said with an obvious grin in her voice. Harry turned his head, finding his neck a lot less tense now. "If Luna was sleep-talking, I'd say, let her. Besides, this massage is bloody brilliant."

"You're only saying that because she's your girlfriend," Hermione said, a teasing hint to her voice.

"And I don't want to ruin any chances I have of sleeping with her again," Harry returned easily.

"Pervert," Maya muttered, sitting down. "And I mean that in the nicest possible way a sister can say that to her brother."

Ginny snorted, knowing just how 'nice' siblings could be toward each other.

"I'm a teenaged boy. Being a pervert comes with the hormones. Nothing I can do about it, so I might as well enjoy it," Harry retorted.

Luna chuckled faintly from her position, and he felt her lower herself delightfully against his much improved back. "And I like you that way, Harry." Unfortunately, she was whispering in his ear, and her breath against it made him react in an exact fashion that teenaged male hormones were known for.

He grunted when the others burst out laughing at the bright red blush on his face. Luna finished her spell, and slipped off him, prompting him to sit upright. He was still tense and somewhat stiff, but at least he didn't hurt so much anymore.

"Thank you, sweetheart. That was incredible," he told Luna as she claimed her spot on his lap.

"We should get to breakfast," Hermione said. "And Harry, you and Luna need to get some fresh clothes. And a shower."

"And _not_ together," Maya added, succeeding in making Harry blush. Luna merely blinked twice, and looked at Maya as if the idea had never even occurred to her.

00000

Maya materialized in Harry's mindscape, rather curious as to what it looked like now. Half a second behind her, Ken materialized, having gotten permission from Harry's shields to enter. She was equally as curious, even if she hid it better.

To both Japanese witches' surprise, a deep-grey fog surrounded them, blocking all senses, preventing them from seeing or even feeling anything but each other.

"What has happened here?" Ken asked in surprise.

"It looks just like last time," Maya whispered. "I thought Harry was going to fix this." Speaking louder, she went on, "Harry!?"

"Yes?" he asked, his voice all around them.

"This isn't funny!" Maya said, actually putting her fists on her hips.

"It is... from my perspective," Harry said, his voice suddenly coming from only one direction, as the fog lifted, pulling to a set number of locations. The thickness of the fog was suddenly explained, as it congealed into a multitude of statues, placed strategically throughout the domain of Harry's mental Hogwarts, Harry himself located next to where a statue of Luna was materializing out of the fog.

She looked fantastic, dressed in a regal robe of clearly druidic design, her head crowned by a mistletoe circlet, the most elaborate and fantastic creates located around her feet, as well as one present on her right shoulder.

"I doubt she will ever see this, so I let my imagination run wild," Harry explained when he caught both Maya and Ken staring at Luna's statue.

"You have added more defences," Ken stated.

Harry nodded. "Snape used a similar technique to keep me from toasting him. I figured, if it can protect him, it can protect me. So I used the remains of my last mindscape, and created these statues. I then built a fully new mindscape, so I now have twice the material available, so to speak."

Ken placed a hand on the statue. It promptly shattered, and the fog that formed from it snapped toward her aggressively.

"HALT!" Harry's voice snapped, right before the mist reached her. That moment, it looked as if the mist pouted like a guilty puppy, before forming slowly into a statue. "You did well," Harry told the reforming statue. However, from now on, do not react to Maya and Ken-Sensei."

The pouting mist gave no reaction, but it did give the impression of reforming the statue a lot faster. "Sorry about that, Sensei. It seems my defences are still on a hair-trigger."

Ken lifted her hand. "No worries, Harry. I should have known better than to touch something so obviously built to defend." She turned to face him and Maya. "The reason I asked to meet here is simple. I want you and Maya to spar with your swords, and doing so in mindscape will allow you to learn faster – as well as add an additional level of difficulty on you."

Harry nodded, and lifted his right hand. A metal training blade materialized in it, its edges dulled. Maya nodded, and materialized a sword of her own.

Glad he wasn't going to face her defensive techniques, Harry charged at her, striking fast and precise. She deflected his strike, and struck at his unprotected side while he recuperated. Dancing back to avoid the follow-strike from his sister, Harry shifted his weight to even out his balance, and struck at her while she was exposed. To his surprise, she didn't need time to recover, and merely shifted the angle of attack of her blade, and attacked him in the continuation of her earlier motion.

Taking a step back to avoid her strike, he immediately stepped forward once it was past, and brought down his still-raised sword. Dodging adeptly, Maya turned her blade and struck back, a strike he blocked.

For just a few seconds, both teens stopped and stared at each other, blades against each other's. "Good," Maya said with a small smile.

Harry nodded in agreement of the sentiment. "You're fast."

"And you still hit like a gorilla," Maya answered. "Let's take it up a step."

Harry blinked. _Huh?_ He dodged back as she took a swipe at him, and was immediately forced to take another step back as she went forward, reversing her vertical into a horizontal slash. He attempted to strike, but was forced to abandon that move when he found her blade going for his unprotected side, which made him block the strike. Spinning around, using the force of his block to add to her speed, Maya went for his other side.

That move left her exposed for a fraction of a second, but Harry was no where near fast enough to capitalize on it, and he was forced to block the reverse-strike coming from his other side. Snapping out, Maya hooked her leg behind his, and pushed him to the ground. Her dulled metal blade struck him on his shoulder, leaving a bruise.

"You're not taking this seriously," she admonished. "This isn't a game, Little Brother."

"I know, Sis," Harry muttered, standing up, rubbing his shoulder. "I don't want to hurt you."

Maya lifted an eyebrow. "You'll need a lot more than that to hurt me, Bro."

"I can only use swords, right?"

Maya dipped her head. Harry reversed the training blade, turning it tip-down, before planting it in the soil of his mindscape. His right hand went to Devastation. He drew it gently, not a hint of strain as he did so, and held the blade horizontally before him. "This is why I don't want to hurt you," Harry said. "_Breathe, Kaze no Yojimbo_."

Maya's eyes went big went his sword shifted, the cross-guard taking on its pentagram-shape, before the blade vanished.

Her reactions saved her as she threw herself to one side, rolling across the ground before coming up into a crouch. Where she had been, a trench had been dug in the ground. She blinked, spun around, and lifted her had. "FORBID!" The bolt of compressed air struck her shield, making her grunt with exertion as it dispersed around it, before settling into a blade onto Harry's hilt once more.

"That's insane," Maya muttered. "Were you _trying_ to kill me?"

"No," Harry said.

"U-huh," Maya said, doubtfully. "And that's why you don't want to hurt me?"

Harry shrugged. "Nobody can win against me in sword-fighting now."

The next moment, he was on the ground, groaning in pain at the diagonal slash that suddenly appeared on his chest, drawing a small amount of blood.

"Once your attack has passed, you are vulnerable, my foolish young apprentice," Ken stated, standing over him. "Have you forgotten the first rule of carrying a weapon I have ever taught you?"

Harry blinked, feeling even worse now. "Never draw a sword unless you intend to shed blood with it," he muttered.

Ken nodded. "Now, return your sword, draw your training blade, and resume your spar. The next time you declare yourself invulnerable, you'd better be able to back up said claim, or I will start cutting off body parts."

Harry paled. "Yes, Sensei. I'm sorry, Sensei. It won't happen again, Sensei," he pleaded in quick succession.

Ken nodded once more, and stepped away so that he could get to his feet. Maya had a faint look of amusement on her face. "You can be such a Western prick at times, Little Brother. You gain one attack, and you immediately think yourself unbeatable. Come. Attack me. Let's see how well you do without your own sword to shore up your deficiencies."

Harry sheathed his soul sword, and grabbed his training blade. "Right," he muttered. "My sword props me up."

"That's right, Little Brother. Don't make it sad, or it won't serve you again."

Harry placed his left hand on the hilt of his sword. _My apologies,_ he thought to it, and for a moment, it felt as if his sword pulsed under his palm. With a small yell, he charged Maya.

00000

Harry and Maya slipped into the Room of Requirement, its configuration having changed to suit their exact needs. They entered into a large chamber, shaped like a pentagram, the lines connecting opposing corners fully visible on the ground, etched into the thick rocks that made up the underground. In the far corners, the very tips of the five corners, stood each a representation of the five elements of the Japanese magical system: A cauldron of water for water, a torch for fire, a stone statue for earth, a feather representing air, and a glowing sphere of energy represented the Void.

Taking in their new surroundings, the two walked to the centre of the room. "This really is an impressive room," Maya said. "This will make a marvellous training hall." She put down the small chest she was carrying, Harry copying her movements and putting down the one he was carrying next to hers.

"Remember what I told you, Harry," Maya resumed, taking a flask of water from her robes, Harry doing the same. "Do not let up until we have reached the first stopping point, or the entire enchantment will unravel instantly."

Harry nodded. "All right, let's start," Maya stated, lifting the flask in her left hand, and raising her right hand, which held her staff. A shove later, she was holding a column of the cleanest, freshest water. Harry closed his eyes, and willed his staff to activate.

He could feel a shudder pass through him as he activated his staff for the first time since long. Blue scales formed on the carved dragon's head, while its eyes filled with brilliant red and gold. At the same time, the wood hardened perceptibly, right before the wind formed air-fins around the dragon's head. Finally, its jaws opened, and the Void formed its stone.

"Ready?" Maya asked, one final time.

Through their link, Harry acknowledged that he was, indeed, ready.

Both teens started to speak, forming entire spell-sentences as their powers reached out to the water in the flasks.

Slowly, the water started to vaporize, forming mist in the five-cornered room, before the two teens' power forced it to coagulate into the centre of the room, right before the two casters. Enchantment after enchantment was pressed upon the mist as they continued, barely pausing to catch a breath.

The room was hot, the oppressive feeling of magics pressing down upon them as they continued to cast, sweat pouring down their skin, however, neither of them was able to even take the break necessary to wipe at the sweat or scratch the nastily itching sensation it caused as tiny droplets entered uncomfortable places.

It stung in their eyes and tainted the very air they breathed, and still they did not falter.

Word upon word, sentence upon sentence, they pushed further, until they reached the first point where they could stop. Both snapped out the fixation command, and released their magic.

The two clouds hung before their casters, slowly dancing, always moving on the air currents yet not deviating from their assigned locations.

"Stage one, complete," Maya muttered. "Let's stop here for today. I'm exhausted."

Harry nodded. Opening their small chests, both Harry and Maya muttered one more command, and the two fogs obediently entered the chests, before being sealed in.

"I can't believe this was only stage one," Harry said.

"If we continue this three times a week, we should be ready by December," Maya answered the unspoken question. "I really don't think I could handle more than that."

"I have the power, but my head is killing me," Harry told her. "I was just hanging on by a thread at the end there – I was lucky to be able to cheat off you through the Link."

"It's nasty," Maya said, nodding. "You have the power, I have the skill. Together, we could do this so much easier."

Harry rubbed his chin. "Maybe we should practice synchronizing our magic."

"Not today," Maya stated flatly.

"No, not today," Harry agreed with a small nod. "Let's get out of here. I need a shower and a goodnight kiss."

Maya chuckled and fluttered her eyes at him. "Why Harry, I didn't know you thought of me like that."

Harry shook his head. "Slut. Trying to steal another girl's man."

"You started it," Maya said with a grin.

"I did not!" Harry defended himself

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

They were still arguing when they entered the Gryffindor Common Room.

**End of Chapter**

Next Chapter – what was Voldemort up to, all this time?


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